Key Lime Squares

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Summer and citrus desserts just seem to go together. When I saw that Helen, of Tartlette fame and my personal pastry hero, was hosting Sugar High Friday Citrus, I knew I wanted to join in! I decided to make key lime squares. When I googled a recipe, guess who's turned up? Helen's! So of course I had to make them, and they're superb! They have the perfect balance of sweet and tart with a buttery, delicious crust. I did add a little ground ginger to the crust because I like that hint of ginger with the key lime.
Thanks Helen for hosting Sugar High Friday's and for the great new recipe.

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground ginger
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Filling:
6 large eggs
3 cups sugar
6 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tb finely grated key lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice


Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line a 13x9-inch square pan with parchment paper.
To make crust:Combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is pebbly. Press evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes. Set aside crust.

To make filling:In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in lime zest and juice until well combined. Pour over crust (it's okay if crust is still hot). Bake until filling is just set, about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely before serving. It's much easier to cut when chilled completetly. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.