Tomorrow is Father’s Day and Scott’s favorite treat is Key Lime anything, so it is pie time!

Seriously, what do you get the guy that has everything? Face puckering limes I guess?

I’m not much of a tart dessert person, but it’s been a while and tastes change. You can watch the VIDEO HERE.

I digress.

I’ve made a lot of graham cracker crusts in my time, but this is the first one that used powdered sugar. It was LIFE CHANGING. How long has this been a thing? Somehow I missed that memo and now I am sad for all the past pies I’ve made.

You can crush your graham crackers by hand, I used my Ninja. Look, I’m old enough now that I am really embracing anything that saves me time and energy. We have had this Ninja FOREVER and it gets used multiple times a week. Smoothies in the morning, soups in the winter, iced coffees, easy doughs, and pie crusts. Because the parts can go into the dishwasher, it really is a time saver. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Sorry, I am a Ninja kitchen tool fangirl.)

Now, let’s talk limes. It turns out that not all limes are created equal.

I’ve mentioned before about the limited access to “exotic” groceries here in our rural town. Key limes? HA! I told Scott that it wasn’t a big deal and a lime is a lime, but he said that are NOT the same and a Key Lime Pie absolutely NEEDS Key Limes. We had to go into the “city” so we went to a bigger store and picked some up.

While it is true, there is a difference in limes, it turns out that Key Limes aren’t great for zesting, and their small sizes makes them a little ridiculous for juicing. The zest can be bitter. I recommend using regular limes for both the zest and the juice. If you want to get some key limes for some cute garnishing, go for it!

Baking this pie is pretty easy. Into the oven, set the timer. As long as the center hits 145 degrees then it is done!

You need to let it sit until it gets to room temperature, then into the fridge for a few hours to fully set!

I garnished with some whipped cream and sliced limes and it looked so pretty!

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Ingredients

• Crust

• 1 1/2 cups (150g) graham cracker crumbs (about 10 whole graham crackers, crushed)

• 1/4 cup (28g) confectioners’ sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon table salt

• 6 tablespoons (85g) butter, melted

• Filling

• zest of 2 limes

• 3 large egg yolks

• 1 1/4 cups (397g) sweetened condensed milk

• 2/3 cup (152g) Key lime juice or lime juice, freshly squeezed

• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon lime oil, optional

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Directions

• Select a pie pan whose inside top dimension is at least 9″, and whose height is at least 1 1/4″. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Make the crust by stirring together all of the crust ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined.
• Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.
• Bake the pie crust for 15 minutes; it’ll start to darken in color a bit. Remove it from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool while you make the filling.
• Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer for about 4 minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and thicken somewhat, looking kind of like Hollandaise sauce.
• Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing till smooth. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes; the filling will become slightly thicker, and gain a bit of volume.
• Add the lime juice, stirring just to combine. The mixture will thicken. Add lime oil to taste.
• Pour the mixture into the crust, and return the pie to the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, until it appears set around the edges, though still a bit wobbly in the center. The center should read about 145°F.
• Remove the pie from the oven, and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Slice and serve each piece with a lightly sweetened dollop of whipped cream, if desired.