KEY LIME PIE BARS - 2

`The other day, I posted some Key Lime Pie Bars and they were delicious, but I kept thinking that maybe I could improve on the crust?  Remember when Sugar Cookie Bars were showing up on just about every blog?  Well, I was sure that the recipe for those would make the most amazing crust.  My friend, Shelley, gave me a recipe for Key Lime Pie she found in a book she has.  So, I decided I would try both recipes.  I started with the sugar cookie crust.  Most recipes make enough for a whole cookie sheet, so I cut the recipe in 1/4 and had the perfect amount for an 8x8 dish.  I baked it for 10 minutes and then put the filling on top and baked for probably about 40 minutes more.  The Key Lime Pie recipe only said to bake 20-30 minutes, but mine was still jiggly, so I had to go longer.  By the time it was done, my crust was slightly overdone, but it was still delicious.  I think the perfect Key Lime Pie Bar would be this Sugar Cookie Crust recipe, but the Key Lime Filling recipe from my first post.  So, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Sugar Cookie Crust:

1/4 c. butter, soft

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and add to wet; mix well.  Spread evenly into a greased 8x8 dish.  Bake about 10 minutes (it will look slightly underdone).

Key Lime Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 Tbl. lime zest, grated (I didn't add this)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 egg yolk

1/3 c. key lime juice (I added a little more)

Lower oven temp. to 325 degrees.  Using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, zest and salt until creamy.  Add sweetened condensed milk and mix until incorporated.  Add egg yolk and mix until combined.  Add lime juice and stir until well blended.  Pour filling over sugar cookie crust.  Bake until set, about 20-30 minutes (mine took around 40 min. which caused my crust to be slightly overdone).  Cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate two hours before serving.