Key Lime Pie {Recipe}

Happy Pie Day! I mean... Pi Day... but we all know that the proper way to celebrate is by eating pie rather than reciting the digits of an irrational number. Unless you love that sort of thing. In which case I won't judge you.

Now while I go eat a large variety of pies at a pie party tonight, please enjoy the recipe of one of my very favorite pies in the world (and the one I happened to make today). There's nothing quite like a good key lime pie, in my opinion.

KEY LIME PIE

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the crumbs, butter, and sugar together and press the mixture into a 9" round pie pan. Bake for 5 minutes for a softer crust, or for 10 minutes for a crispier crust. (I like to do 8 minutes for a happy medium).

Filling:
7 egg yolks
4 Tsp lime zest
2 cans (14 oz. each) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime juice

Mix the yolks with the lime zest until well blended, about a minute. Add the sweetened condensed milk first and mix, then add the key lime juice and mix again. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake for 20-24 minutes (at 350 F) or until the filling is firm at the center. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Then put it in the refrigerator and chill for 2-3 hours.

Take the pie out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving to take the chill off. To finish the pie, take a half pint of whipping cream, sweeten it with a little sugar, and then whip it up until it becomes fluffy and thick. You can either put dollops of the cream on the pie, pipe it around the edge, or do what I do and cover the WHOLE pie with it. For a little aesthetic flair, I like putting a little more lime zest on top. It looks pretty.



The last step, of course, is to enjoy!!! It's so yummy. I've made two in the past week!