Coconut-Lime Bars

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Long time no post, y’all! (Which is something that can be said at the beginning of most of my posts…) So, little update, post grad is going great. I’ve got a job and moved to a different city that I’m in love with. I mean yeah, it’s the city I grew up in, but exploring it as an adult (with money! For local restaurants! And an apartment!) is a completely different experience, and I’m loving every day of it!

With this new city comes a new apartment, and with this new apartment comes a radical, life-changing invention: windows. WINDOWS. Windows! Natural light. Who knew there was such a thing? My last apartment had one window that got no sunlight, which is why my blog had this real cute “dungeon” aesthetic going on.

And as great as overhead tungsten light is for food photography (gag, see above), I’m absolutely ecstatic to have a huge row of windows going along the back side of this apartment. I can sense the change it brings in my productivity levels already, and I can’t wait to see what it’s going to do for my photography. This post was actually the last that I shot before moving, and the ~natural light~ comes to you courtesy of my open front door. Yeah, I’m sure my neighbors thought I was crazy, but they were the ones stealing shopping carts and leaving them in their front yard so I’m not too pressed.

So, it’s safe to say that I’ve gone crazy over limes. If you’ve been following along, you know that I recently made a Lime Margarita Cake and Lime Iced Sugar Cookies, both using the same lime curd that I’m absolutely obsessed with. When I made the cookies, I ended up having one lime left over and had to find a way to use it up. One lime meant no lime curd (sad, right?), so I had to get creative.

I turned to my trusty KitchenAid Recipe Collection Binder for some inspiration and found a recipe for some lemon bars. You know what’s basically a lemon? A lime. You know what goes great with lime? Coconut. Bam. Easiest recipe modification I’ve ever made. Lime and coconut are really some of the best flavors that scream “SUMMER,” but if you really want to go crazy and edit this recipe again, you could probably think of a million ways to do it. The basis is just vanilla cookies, cream cheese, and some kind of chocolate, fruit, and nut combination. The possibilities are endless! Go wild!

To round this up today, I’m going to promise you all three things: 1) My next post will be sooner rather than later. 2) My next post will feature some bomb photography with some beautiful natural light thanks to my new living arrangements. 3) My next post will feature something OTHER THAN LIME. I promise.

Coconut-Lime Bars

A thin and fruity bar that's perfect for cutting into small squares and snacking on throughout the day.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Servings 32 bars

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (basically the entirety of a regular-sized box)
• 6 Tbsp butter (melted)
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)
• 1 Tbsp lime zest (about one lime)
• 3 Tbsp lime juice (about one lime)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup white chocolate (chips or a block chopped into small pieces)
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the finely crushed vanilla wafers and butter in a bowl and stir together until all the butter is absorbed. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Set aside.
• Beat together the cream cheese, lime zest, lime juice, and egg with a stand mixer on low until smooth and fully incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth evenly over the surface.
• Sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate and the coconut evenly over the bars, then bake for 25-30 minutes. The top of the coconut should be lightly browned and the chocolate should be bubbling lightly. Allow to cool completely before slicing into small squares and serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Notes

• This recipe makes a slim bar that's perfect for a quick, light snack. For a thicker bar, bake for a slightly longer time in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
• Feel free to try some variations on these bars - the original recipe was for lemon bars, but they would be great with cherry and almonds as well!