Celebration Lime Cheesecake Bars

Crust prepared from all-purpose flour, white sugar, butter, egg yolk and flaked coconut. Crust is baked until light golden brown and topped with mixture of cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and fresh lime juice. Cheesecake is baked until filling is set, cooled and chilled until ready to serve.

Ingredients -

1-1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup White Sugar
7 tablespoons Butter, softened and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Egg Yolk, beaten
1/3 cup Flaked Coconut, firmly packed
2 (8 ounces each) packages Plain Cream Cheese, softened
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk, divided
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Lime Juice

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine the flour and sugar in a mixer and add the butter and egg yolk.

3. Blend until well combined.

4. Mix in the coconut.

5. Press the dough into a greased 13x9-inch glass baking dish.

6. Bake for 13 minutes or until the edge of the crust is golden brown.

7. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

8. With a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until it's fluffy.

9. Gradually beat in the sweetened condensed milk until it is smooth.

10. Add the eggs and mix until it's just combined.

11. Stir in the lime juice.

12. Pour the batter over the crust.

13. Once the oven has cooled to 350 degrees F, bake 17 to 22 minutes or until center is set.

14. Cool.

15. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

16. Serve with toppings.

Cheesecake Making Tips -

Springform Pan

Cheesecake can leak through the bottom of a springform pan onto the oven floor so it is a good idea to wrap foil around the bottom and partially up the sides of the pan, or place tha pan on a baking sheet.

Cheesecake Making Tips -

Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Unbleached all-purpose flour is creamier in color than bleached flour and is slightly heavier. The firmer flour yields a firmer product than bleached flour.