I love it when bags of key limes appear in early May because that means Key Lime Pie!

key lime pie with chocolate wafer crust and whipped cream

all these key limes for only $2

The Crust:

This can be made of vanilla or chocolate wafers, or graham crackers. You need about one and a half cups of crumbs for a 9″ pie pan, a bit more for a 10″ pan. Getting the precise amount isn’t really all that important. If you don’t have enough you can always crush some more, if you have too much you’ll just end up with a thicker crust. You’ll need around 28 wafers if you are using Mr. Christie’s Chocolate or Vanilla Wafers, but Graham Crackers seem to come in all sizes so I just guesstimate with them.

• Crush the crackers/wafers in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.
  

  I put the wafers in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Two seconds later, no muss, no fuss!

• Put the crumbs in a bowl and mix in about 3 tbsp. soft butter.
• Plus 1/2 tsp salt.
• Spread the mix into a 9″ pie pan.
• Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.

This can be kept in the fridge for a day, or frozen and revived later when key limes come into season.

graham cracker crust for key lime pie

The Filling:

Mexican lime squeezer making fast work of the key limes

I use a Mexican lime squeezer to good effect here with about 16 limes — in no time flat I had about 3/4 cup lime juice!

ingredients for key lime pie filling

• Start with 1/2 cup whip cream whipped (makes about 1 cup when whipped)
• Add 1 cup condensed sweetened milk
• Add 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten with fork

Mix together, then

• Add 3/4 cup lime juice

Place in pie crust and bake for 10 minutes.

Key Lime Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Key Lime Pie with Chocolate Wafer Crust

Here I have decorated the pie with cookie crumbs and lime zest, and served it with a dollop of whipped cream.