Coconut Lime Squares

Ohhhhh my goodness! I made these so long ago and I have no idea why oh why I waited till now to post them because, boy were they good! As you may know, I went to Cuba this past December, and if any of you have been you know that the one thing you have to take advantage of (besides the sun, sand, and ocean) is the Cuban rum! My friends and I certainly took advantage of it, bringing home as many bottles as our luggage would allow! So clearly our drink of choice for our New Years celebration was rum and coke. I got a little over-excited when buying limes for our drinks, and ended up with a ton leftover, and we all know that when life hands you limes, make margaritas!....I mean....Coconut Lime Squares!

After searching around for the best lime recipe I could find, I came across this amazing sounding recipe from Epicurious. These squares have a great sweet, light and flaky crust with a tart curd filling. Some of my favourite desserts are citrus based, that have that great tart flavour complimenting the sweet, which is seriously like a match made in heaven! A hint of coconut takes these squares to a whole new level, adding a great nutty flavour as well as texture. Not only are these squares light and delicious, they are also adorable! With their soft yellow colour and a sprinkling of shredded coconut, they would look amazing served at any party!

Tip: Easter is coming up! These squares would be the perfect accompaniment to any easter spread!

Tip: Make sure you use the freshest limes as possible! Limes no longer in their prime will make this tart bitter.

Ingredients:

Crust

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp flour

3/4 stick (6 tbsp) cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted and cooled

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Curd

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)

1 tbsp freshly grated lime zest

1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted and cooled

Directions:

Crust

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Butter and lightly flour an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, butter, coconut, confectioners sugar, and salt using clean fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse meal.

3. Using your hands, press mixture into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Curd

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined and stir in flour, lime juice, and zest.

2. Pour mixture over crust and bake for 20 minutes. Top the curd with coconut and bake 5-10 minutes more until set. Let cool, cut into squares and serve.