It seems the season of colds and flu has begun, boohoo. Many people around me have come down with nasty colds. To ward off all these bugs I have increased my Vitamin C intake and one of the ways of doing this is to have a glass of warm water with freshly squeezed lemon first thing in the morning (apparently, this way is detoxifying and kick starts your whole digestive system). When a cold has already got a hold on me, I have cups of hot lemon, ginger and honey, which is soothing on a sore throat and warming all over.

So with these lemon remedies coming in to season again, I am surrounding myself with citrus fruits and had a few spare ones to try out another Pioneer Woman recipe: creamy lemon crumb squares (see link below). It sounded so easy and quick to make, I had to give it a go.

However, I amended it a tiny bit, as I like limes as much as I like lemons – or maybe even a little more.

I also preferred a slightly more British name instead of ‘Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares’, so I’m calling my version ‘Lemon & Lime Crumble Slice’ in honour of all the yummy British crumbles over here.

This recipe based on Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares by Pioneer Woman: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/creamy-lemon-crumb-squares/

For 10 -12 slices (depending on the size you cut them of course), you’ll need:

• A deep enough baking dish, – such as one a brownie dish (I used a Perspex one I usually use for pasta bakes, measuring 23×30 cm – the original recipe suggests an 8×11 or 9×13 inch pan)
• 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup brown sugar (not too tightly packed)
• 1 cup oats
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• juice of 3 limes and 1 lemon (should yield about ½ cup)
• zest of ½ lemon and ½ lime

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined. I used a wooden spoon for this, which works well.

Now mix the baking powder in the flour and add a pinch of salt. Then add this flour mix, as well as the oats, to the butter/sugar mixture and combine. Press down half of the oat crumb mixture into the bottom of your baking dish, using the back of a spoon.

For the filling, mix together the condensed milk, lemon & lime juice and grated lemon & lime zest with a whisk – electric or handheld – either should do the job nicely and pour it onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture and spread evenly.

With your (clean!) hands rub the other half of crumb mixture into actual crumbs (that’s Streusel for the German Readers – and for the Brits: think crumble topping) then cover the lemon & lime layer with the crumbs but don’t press it down.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crumble toping is golden brown.

Allow the dish to sit on counter until it is cooled down completely, at which point it should be refrigerated, until you are ready to slice and served. The slices should be kept in the fridge and are best served cool.