I love lemon bars because their flavor is so assertive. And its one of those sweets which I know exactly how many slices I’ve had. With dessert it’s easy to blank out on how many helpings you’ve already ate. I see this all the time, a whole plate of cookies disappears, the amnesia sets in, and all that is left are the crumbs on our t-shirts. This hardly happens with lemon bars. The intensity of the lemon shocks us back to reality. There is nothing subtle about a citrus and why mess with that by packing on the sugar?

I made a walnut shortbread with lime curd. I was very impressed by the combination of walnuts and lime zest. It elevated the shortbread to another level and made it much more memorable than the plain shortbread.

Lime Bars with Walnut Shortbread:

Toast 1 cup walnuts until they become fragrant and start to brown ( this can be done in the oven or on the stove top). Place the toasted walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until finely ground but not a paste. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup powder sugar, zest of 3 limes, and 1/4 tsp. salt and pulse until well mixed. Add 1 stick cold unsalted butter that has been cut into 8 pieces and pulse until the dough starts to hold together. Press the dough into a 9-by-9 inch square pan that has been greased with butter. Chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the shortbread for 20-25 minutes until it starts to brown around the edges. Make the lime curd by whisking 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour in a medium size bowl. In a separate bowl lightly beat 4 eggs (room temperature) with a fork. Pour the eggs into the sugar and flour mixture and whisk to incorporate. Lastly, whisk in 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice. Pour the mixture over the shortbread and bake for 20 more minutes until the lime curd sets. Sprinkle with powder sugar. Cut into 12 bars when cooled.