The recipe, from Cook’s Illustrated, is available for free on their website for the time being. I subscribe to the magazine and Joe’s favorite dessert is Key Lime Pie, so I had to give these a try.

Technically, I suppose this should be called “Persian Lime Bars” as I didn’t actually use Key limes. I appreciate the extra tartness and not having to squeeze twenty little limes for enough juice though. The flecks of Microplaned zest look nice in the filling. This was my first use of the Microplane grater and it lived up to all the hype - not a bit of pith and the zest was superfine.

I don’t have a food processor, so I crushed the animal crackers in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. My crust is a TAD fall-apart crumbly, something that might be remedied with the food processor, but it doesn’t take away at all from the enjoyment of the bars. The coconut, an optional addition in the recipe, is the perfect topping, both looking tasty and adding a nice counterpoint to the lime flavor.