Key Lime Bars

SERVES 16 Ingredients Crust • 2½ cups almond flour • 4 tablespoons (60 ml) coconut oil, melted • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) palm sugar • 1 pinch salt Filling • 2 ounces coconut milk • 2 teaspoons tapioca flour • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) grated lime zest, plus ½ cup lime juice (4 limes) • 1 pinch salt • 7 ounces coconut milk • 7 ounces honey • 1 large egg white • Coconut oil for greasing foil Preparation 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Make a foil sling for an eight-inch square baking pan by folding two long sheets of aluminum foil so each is eight inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease with coconut oil. 2. Process almond flour in a food processor to fine, even crumbs (about 30 seconds). Add melted coconut oil, palm sugar, and salt and pulse to incorporate (about 5 pulses). Transfer mixture to prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer using a wide metal spatula. Bake until crust is fragrant and beginning to brown (12 to 16 minutes), rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes. 3. Combine coconut milk, tapioca flour, lime zest, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk in 7 ounces of coconut milk and honey until smooth, then whisk in the egg white, followed by the lime juice. Pour filling over baked crust and smooth the top. Bake until the center is firm and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides (15 to 20 minutes). 4. Let bars cool completely in pan on wire rack for about one hour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (2 to 3 hours). Remove from pan using foil sling and cut into sixteen squares. Serve.

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Key lime bars usually hide behind cans of sweetened condensed milk, but this paleo version lets the limes do the talking: a toasted almond-flour crust under a silky filling of coconut milk, honey, lime zest, and a full half cup of fresh lime juice. A single egg white and two teaspoons of tapioca flour set the filling just enough to slice into sixteen tidy squares.

Pro Tips

• Make the foil sling exactly as written — two crossed sheets overhanging the pan — so you can lift the whole slab out and cut clean squares instead of digging the first bar out of the corner.
• Whisk the tapioca flour into the first 2 ounces of coconut milk before adding anything else; this slurry step is what keeps the filling smooth and lump-free.
• Squeeze the limes yourself. Half a cup of juice from about four limes tastes vivid where bottled juice tastes flat, and the tablespoon of zest carries most of the aroma.
• Rotate the crust pan halfway through its 12 to 16 minute bake so it browns evenly, and pull the filling when the center is just firm with edges barely pulling from the sides.
• The 2 to 3 hour chill isn't optional — the tapioca and egg white need it to set the filling firm enough to cut into sixteen neat pieces.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my key lime filling runny?

It was either underbaked or under-chilled. Bake until the center is firm and the edges pull slightly from the pan, then refrigerate the full 2 to 3 hours so the tapioca and egg white can set.

Can I use bottled lime juice instead of fresh?

You can, but you will taste the difference — the recipe leans on the juice of about four fresh limes plus a tablespoon of zest, and bottled juice reads flat and slightly bitter by comparison.

Are these key lime bars paleo and dairy-free?

Yes. The crust is almond flour, coconut oil, and palm sugar, and the filling is coconut milk, honey, egg white, lime, and tapioca — no dairy, grains, or condensed milk anywhere.

How should I store the bars?

Keep them covered in the refrigerator; they slice best and taste best thoroughly chilled, and they hold their clean square edges for several days.

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