Coconut-Lime Bars with Macadamia Shortbread Crust
July 9, 2009
We were invited to a 4th of July (celebration) barbeque, so I was on the look out for something different and really sweet for dessert. I found this recipe for coconut lime bars from bon appetit. The original recipe called for hazelnut’s, however I could not find them from my local grocer, and unfortuntely I did not have the time to hunt them out. So here I was looking at all the different types of nuts, the macadamias said “Pick Me”, “Pick Me”! So I did, and I achieved my goal, rich and sweet, Coconut Lime Bars with Macadamia Shortbread Crust. Now after doing my due diligence in researching the macadamia nut (because we immediatley assume FATTENING), I was pleasantly surprised to learn that macadamia nuts are highly nutritious; 9% protein, 2% carb’s AND that the oil in macadamia’s is prized for containing approximately 22% of the Omega-7 palmitoleic acid,[6] which makes it a botanical alternative to mink oil, which contains approximately 17%. This relatively high content of “cushiony” palmitoleic acid plus macadamia’s high oxidative stability make it a desirable ingredient in cosmetics, especially skincare, according to this link here. Now because it is an oiler nut, I think next time I’ll add more flour (1/2 cup) to create a firmer and thicker crust. Please enjoy!
For more shortbread bar recipes, click here.
Crust:
- 1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and salted
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp. cut into ½ ” pieces
Filling:
- 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar
- 5 large eggs
- ¾ cup fresh lime juice, from about 8 limes
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. finely grated lime peel
- ¾ cup sweetened flaked coconut
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, make sure rack is in center of oven. Blend nuts and sugar in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add flour and salt; blend 5 seconds. Add butter and process until well blended. Press dough onto bottom of 13x9x2 pan (I like to use the throw-away aluminum). Bake crust until golden, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Leave oven temp at 350 degrees.
Filling:
Whisk sugar and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in lime juice, then flour and lime peel. Pour filling over crust in pan. Bake lime bars 25 minutes. Depending on your oven, filling may not be fully set, that’s ok. 
Remove from oven and sprinkle the coconut over your lime bars, evenly. Bake an additional 10 minutes, until filling is set and coconut is slightly browned. Cool bars, and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, before serving. Best if made a day ahead, and chilled over night. Cut around pan sides to loosen bars; cut into 24 pieces
Makes 24 bars
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