Tart, sweet, creamy, crunchy -- this is everything you could want in a perfect key lime pie!
FOR THE CRUST:
1 ¾ cups ground graham cracker crumbs (about 13-14 full cracker sheets)
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING:
1 ½ tablespoons lime zest
4 large egg yolks
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup fresh key lime or lime juice (squeezed from about 1 dozen key limes or 4 regular limes)
FOR THE TOPPING:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar, to taste
Lime zest to garnish (optional)
FOR THE CRUST:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, chopped pecans, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir until mixed well and no sugar clumps remain.
Add melted butter and mix until crumbs/pecans are evenly coated.
Press mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. I use a deep dish pie plate, but a standard one works just as well – you may just end up with a bit extra graham cracker mixture depending on your pie dish.
Bake crust on the middle rack about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Set on a cooling rack while you prepare the filling. Leave the oven on.
FOR THE FILLING:
Zest limes into the bottom of a medium bowl until youhave 1 ½ tablespoons.
Add egg yolks to the zest and beat with an electric mixer until thick and pale in color, about 6 minutes.
Add sweetened condensed milk and beat again until thickened, about 4 more minutes.
Whisk key lime or lime juice into the mixture until combined.
Pour into the graham cracker crust and bake pie until set, about 11 minutes. Keep an eye on it, though, because you don't want it to get browned on top at all.
Let pie cool completely before adding topping.
FOR THE TOPPING:
Add heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a medium bowl and beat until soft peaks form.
Spread cream over the top of the chilled pie leaving about an inch margin between the topping and the crust so that the color of the pie filling shows.
Garnish with a bit of lime zest (optional).
Chill pie 2-3 hours to fully set before slicing.
Tart, sweet, creamy, crunchy -- this is everything you could want in a perfect key lime pie!
FOR THE CRUST:
1 ¾ cups ground graham cracker crumbs (about 13-14 full cracker sheets)
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING:
1 ½ tablespoons lime zest
4 large egg yolks
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup fresh key lime or lime juice (squeezed from about 1 dozen key limes or 4 regular limes)
FOR THE TOPPING:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar, to taste
Lime zest to garnish (optional)
FOR THE CRUST:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, chopped pecans, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir until mixed well and no sugar clumps remain.
Add melted butter and mix until crumbs/pecans are evenly coated.
Press mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. I use a deep dish pie plate, but a standard one works just as well – you may just end up with a bit extra graham cracker mixture depending on your pie dish.
Bake crust on the middle rack about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Set on a cooling rack while you prepare the filling. Leave the oven on.
FOR THE FILLING:
Zest limes into the bottom of a medium bowl until youhave 1 ½ tablespoons.
Add egg yolks to the zest and beat with an electric mixer until thick and pale in color, about 6 minutes.
Add sweetened condensed milk and beat again until thickened, about 4 more minutes.
Whisk key lime or lime juice into the mixture until combined.
Pour into the graham cracker crust and bake pie until set, about 11 minutes. Keep an eye on it, though, because you don't want it to get browned on top at all.
Let pie cool completely before adding topping.
FOR THE TOPPING:
Add heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a medium bowl and beat until soft peaks form.
Spread cream over the top of the chilled pie leaving about an inch margin between the topping and the crust so that the color of the pie filling shows.
Garnish with a bit of lime zest (optional).
Chill pie 2-3 hours to fully set before slicing.