There’s nothing better than authentic key lime pie from Florida. Yum!
Imagine the moment when that graham cracker crust crumbles as you sink your teeth into a smooth, not-too-tart slice of goodness.
With each bite you can see that crystal clear water off the Florida Keys and those stunningly beautiful sunsets.
A salty old guy strums along on his guitar. With each sip of a tasty rum concoction, you sit, smile and think to yourself: yesssss…this is what life is all about.
To help you get into that laid-back island mentality, I’m sharing a key lime pie recipe with you that I think you’re really going to love.
I studied an array of recipes and tweaked them just a bit, to come up with one that’s easy and oh so delicious. And I’d like to give Sally’s Baking Addiction a huge shout-out because my recipe is most closely based on hers.
Mini Key Lime Pie Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 and 1/2 cups graham of cracker crumbs (you can crush your own or buy something like this
)
- 6 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 4 ounces of full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 large egg yolks
- One 14 ounce can of full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed key lime juice (if you can’t find whole key limes at your grocery store, then this
is a great alternative)
Other stuff you’ll need:
- Baking sheet
- 12 jumbo foil baking cups (like this
)
- Mixing bowls
- Handheld mixer (like this
or this
)
- Muddler (this
or this
)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Can opener (for the sweetened condensed milk)
- Handheld citrus squeezer (like this
)
- Your favorite island-inspired soundtrack :)
Directions: How to Make Mini Key Lime Pies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Set 12 jumbo foil baking cups out on your baking sheet, then set aside.
- Melt 6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter in the microwave.
- Grind up your graham crackers (or crush them with a rolling pin) and measure out 1 and 1/2 cups.
- Use the rubber spatula to mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter with 1/3 cup of sugar together in a bowl. It’s going to be pretty thick and coarse.
- Heap a few giant spoonfuls of mixture down into each foil baking cup.
- Use the cocktail muddle to make sure that each baking cup is packed tight.
- Pre-bake crusts for 5 minutes.
- Separate your egg yolks. add into a small bowl and set aside.
- Start juicing your key limes. Hint: you’ll need to do quite a few to hit 1/3 of a cup. If you like your key lime pie more tart, then squeeze 1/2 cup of juice.
- In a separate bowl beat the 4 ounces of cream cheese using a mixer for about one minute or until smooth.
- Next beat in the egg yolks on medium speed.
- Up the speed to high and beat in the sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice until entire mixture is fully combined.
- Pour filling evenly into each crust.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the centers of the mini pies only jiggle a little bit.
- Allow mini pies to cool to room temperature.
- Once completely cool, place pan in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but longer is better.
Serve, Eat, Repeat
Once chilled, remove the lining from the pie and serve. Voila! Now you have deliciously fabulous mini key lime pies. I used this recipe for Thanksgiving as well as a holiday office party and it worked well for both occasions.
I love the quote shown in the above photo: “The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings.”
The staff at one of my favorite Florida resorts, Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, left this quote on my pillow during my stay. Such a great idea! If you’re looking for a romantic island escape, Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys is an excellent choice.
xoxo
Kara