You wanna piece of me?! So this was my first attempt at a key lime pie. I am not a huge fan of lime (or lemon) desserts but my grandpa was on his way up from the sunshine state so I thought I would surprise him. You know those Floridians love their key lime treats. A few things about this pie - For the crust I took a risk and used both graham crackers and Ritz to give it a sweet and salty vibe, and I must say I am pretty happy with the taste. I left the crumbs kind of large for a rustic style crust that falls apart nicely in your mouth. As far as the filling, I definitely added some some Cool Whip because well we know everything is better with cool whip, and it toned down the tartness of the limes. Grandpa wants one more before he heads back home, so thats what grandpa is gonna get.
For Crust -
1 sleeve Ritz crackers (gently crushed with hands)
5 graham cracker boards (crushed with hands)
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (melted)
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, add the crackers and sugar. Drizzle with the melted butter and stir with a fork until evenly combined.
3. Press the crust down into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake about 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
4. Let cool about 10-15 minutes and place in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
For Filling -
Wait until the crust is completely cooled before beginning this step. The filling will begin to set once it is made and you want the crust ready and cooled before pouring it in.
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (I think I used 6 small ones)
zest of 2 limes (1 for filling, 1 for garnish)
8 oz Cool Whip topping divided (1-1/4 cup for filling, remaining for garnish)
1. Whisk together all filling ingredients. Make sure you are using only 1 - 1/4 cup of the Cool Whip and the zest of only 1 lime.
2. Top with the remaining lime zest. Refrigerate at least 6 hours until set. Garnish with Cool Whip stars.