This Key Lime Pie with Ginger Snap Crust recipe meets my ridiculously high standards for key lime pie - extra tart, a tad bit of sweetness, and an imperfectly formed salty crust.
MOOD MUSIC
KEY LIME PIE INGREDIENTS
Ginger Snap Crust:
- Butter
- Ginger Snaps
- Sugar
- Sea Salt
Pie Filling:
- Key lime zest
- Egg Yolks
- Sweetened and Condensed Milk
- Key Lime Juice
For Whipped Cream:
- Heavy Cream
- Sugar
- Mezcal
KEY LIME PIE INSTRUCTIONS
-
Preheat oven to 350ºF (176ºC).
For the Crust:
- Place ginger snap crumbs in food processor or place cookies in plastic bag and crush until they turn into crumbs.
- Put butter in a mixing bowl and mix in crumbs, sugar, and salt until combined.
- Put mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and pat it down with your fingers to make the crust bringing all the way up to the edges of the dish as well.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Allow to cool.
For the Pie Filling:
-
Whisk most of the zest and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl until thickened (2-3 minutes)
-
Add sweetened and condensed milk and mix for 3-5 minutes until thickened.
-
Add lime juice and mix until combined.
-
Pour mixture into pie crust.
-
Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
-
Allow to cool for ½ hour at room temperature before cooling completely in the fridge. Cool in fridge for at least 2 hours, but if possible cool much, much longer
For Whipped Cream:
-
Use an electric mixer or immersion blender to whip together cream, sugar and mezcal for a few minutes until stiff peaks form. Top the pie with whipped cream and optional zest before serving.
COOKING CONSIDERATIONS
I did look at multiple recipes for key lime pie online and decided that one - I'd only use fresh key limes vs.the bottled stuff; two - I'd go extra with the lime juice and three - I'd leverage the zest as well. Beyond that I chose ginger snaps vs. graham crackers. Ginger goes great with lime and also has a sharper taste that I'm fond of.
I thought about just buying a pre-made crust, but where is the fun in that. Plus they look too perfect. I like my crust humble and imperfect, but righteous! So using a plastic bag plus mallet to beat the ginger snaps into fine crumbs was really cathartic.
Lastly, because I like smokiness in my food, I made a whip cream infused with mezcal. The cream is only scented, so if you're not a fan of smokey, don't worry.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
- Use a citrus reamer/juicer to extract the most juice possible and to cut down on the time and tediousness
- Acid in the limes will cook the eggs and cause the filling to be too thick. Don't make your filling too early, but wait until crust has come out of the oven
- Make the pie overnight and let it chill overnight in the fridge. This will make for a cool and refreshing pie.
- Cooking the crust first helps to firm it up so it holds together when the pie is sliced.
- Include on an Island based menu that includes Braised Red Snapper in Coconut Sauce or Grilled Jerk Snapper
MORE DESSERT RECIPES
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Ingredients
Ginger Snap Crust:
- 7 tablespoons Butter melted
- 2 cups ginger snap crumbs
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
Pie Filling:
- 1½ tablespoons key lime zest reserve some for garnishing
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 1 14 oz can Sweetened and Condensed Milk
- 1 cup Fresh Key Lime Juice
For Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup 8 ounces Heavy Cream
- 1½ tablespoons Sugar
- 1 shot of Mezcal
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (176ºC).
For Crust:
- Make ginger snap crumbs in food processor or place cookies in plastic bag and crush until they turn into crumbs.
- Put butter in a mixing bowl and mix in crumbs, sugar, and salt until combined.
- Put mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and pat it down with your fingers to make the crust bringing all the way up to the edges of the dish as well.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Allow to cool.
For Pie Filling:
- Whisk most of the zest and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl until thickened (2-3 minutes)
- Add sweetened and condensed milk and mix for 3-5 minutes until thickened.
- Add lime juice and mix until combined.
- Pour mixture into pie crust.
- Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Allow to cool for ½ hour at room temperature before cooling completely in the fridge. Cool in fridge for at least 2 hours, but if possible cool much, much longer
For Whipped Cream:
- Use an electric mixer or immersion blender to whip together cream, sugar and mezcal for a few minutes until stiff peaks form. Top the pie with whipped cream and optional zest before serving.
Notes
- Acid in the limes will cook the eggs and cause the filling to be too thick. Don’t make your filling too early, but wait until crust has come out of the oven
- Make the pie overnight and let it chill overnight in the fridge. This will make for a cool and refreshing pie.
- Cooking the crust first helps to firm it up so it holds together when the pie is sliced.Â