Key Lime Pie

I'm not going to lie, these pictures were supposed to be of a whole pie not a pie with two missing slices. Duty calls though, and this pie was begging to be eaten the day before I planned on taking pictures of it. What can I say, this pie is seriously good.

I had never tried key lime pie, let alone attempted to bake one when I first tried this recipe about a year ago. Corey is a big fan of key lime pie which is why I decided to give this recipe a try. He had earmarked it as one that needed to be made and now I'm a key lime pie convert.

This pie takes key lime pie to a new level. The addition of a bit of cream cheese lends a richness to it, and keeps it firm making it much easier to slice. It has the perfect balance of tart lime flavour, creaminess from the cream cheese, and sweet from the crust and sweetened condensed milk.

Let's talk about the crust. It's to die for. It's thick, which I think we can all agree is a good thing. The crust is one of the best parts of a pie, right?! Especially, when it's a Graham cracker crust! In this case, it acts as a crunchy contrast to the smooth, silky, richness of the filling. 

There are a number of wins with this pie. If you make it for your friends and family they will love you for it and beg you to make it again. If you make it for a potluck, it will be the best dessert there. If you make it purely for your own enjoyment you will have made the best choice, and you will love yourself for it. There is no wrong reason to make this pie. Eat pie my friend, eat some more pie.

Key Lime Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 Cups (135 g) Graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbsp. (85 g) butter, melted

1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar

Filling:

1/2 pkg. (112 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

4 egg yolks

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice (from 4-5 limes, depending on size)

zest of 1 lime

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and spray a 9" pie dish with non-stick cooking spray.

To Make the Crust:

2. Mix the Graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar together in a medium bowl until well combined. Then press into to bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. You want to get the filling about 3/4 of the way up the sides. Make sure to press the filling down firmly and evenly. Bake for 12 minutes as you prepare the filling.

To Make the Filling:

3. Beat (I used a hand-held mixer) the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium spead until smooth. Then, beat in the egg yolks. Next add your sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest and beat until combined. Pour into the warm crust.

4. Bake the pie for 16-18 minutes. The filling should look pretty set and firm but a slight jiggle is no problem (a rare area in life where this is ok). You want the crust to look lovely and golden brown, and the filling should have little, if any, colour. 

Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes then transfer the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Inspired by a recipe that appears in Sally's Baking Addiction by Sally McKenney.

Happy Baking!