White Chocolate Lime Bars Recipe

We're off to the races. The countdown after Thanksgiving ticked away, and now all I read about on Facebook are my friends baking and hanging Christmas ornaments on their freshly-cut trees. 26 days away is the big day. I'm lucky that I'm still able to keep track of the number of ham slices in my fridge (before they grow their own legs and have their own Facebook pages), much less hang my Christmas ornaments or lights in the front window.

Thankfully, we've also had a nice heavy snow over the weekend. We got about 8 inches where I live, but I'm sure folks who live on the benches in Salt Lake City, Bountiful and Draper could have gotten upwards of 2 feet. It's thick and billowy, and the plows could hardly handle it for this morning's commute. I would have loved to stay home in my nice bed, but I have a 7 am meeting on Mondays. It's actually a nice way to start the week (those of you who may have known me in college are probably questioniong just how much snow I ate over the weekend), because then when the 8 am meeting rolls around, you're not all behind and scrambling from the weekend. Well, mostly. I'm still doing a little bit of that.

I wanted to share these white chocolate lime bars with you. I think they're perfectly festive, a little crunchy and a lot sweet, and they would make the perfect gift for your gluten free neighbor or friend. They're a bit like the classic lemon bar, or orange bars if you're trying something new. The addition of the white chocolate topping adds a little richness, and a sweet note right as the tart lime melts away. One difference with these bars is that when made gluten free (and more whole grain than a lot of the gluten free fare you'll find in the local specialty shops), the fillings don't separate quite as cleanly as they usually do. The shortbread kind of mingles with the lime, which mingles with the white chocolate. And it's a big, sweet, happy party.

Last Year: Pumpkin Custard Pie
Two Years Ago: Yummy Yam Casserole

White Chocolate Lime Bars
adapted from Gold Medal Holiday Cookies
[Printer Friendly]

Shortbread base.
1/2 cup millet flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Tart Lime Filling.
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
2 teaspoons grated lime peel, using my Microplane Zester
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 eggs
several drops of green food coloring


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flours, xanthan gum, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, almonds, salt and egg. Press the dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of ungreased 9x9 square pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden.

Beat 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, the lime peel, lime juice, 3 eggs and food color with electric mixer on medium speed until slightly thickened. Pour over baked layer. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or just until no indentation remains when touched lightly in center. Cool completely.

Spread with White Chocolate Glaze (below). Refrigerate 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator for a week.

White Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup white baking chips
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 to 2 teaspoons hot water

To make glaze. Heat chips, butter and corn syrup over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Stir in water until spreadable.