Even though the clouds and the rain significantly hindered any major Fourth of July plans here in New England this past weekend, that didn’t stop me from celebrating the holiday in my own- albeit mostly indoors- way. I enjoyed some great food, watched some classic movies, and took some time to prepare a chilled, Summery dessert- in a miniature form so that it can easily be served to guests too, of course!
If you love key lime pie as much as I do- and you can bear to wait the two hours for these mini pies to chill after you prepare them (it was a challenge, believe me. I wanted to eat them right away!) then this dessert is the perfect treat for those hot and humid “dog days of Summer” we have ahead of us.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
16 SERVINGS:
FOR THE CRUST:
- 1½ sleeves graham crackers (about 10 crackers)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
FOR THE FILLING:
- One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from 4 to 8 limes)
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon lime zest, plus more for garnish
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Freshly whipped cream, for serving
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
1. MAKE THE CRUST: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with muffin liners, and lightly spray each cup with nonstick spray.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they form fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl and add the sugar; stir to combine. Add the melted butter, and using your clean hands or a silicone spatula, mix until the crumbs are moistened.
3. Place 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture into each cup of the prepared muffin tin. Use a small metal spoon to press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of each cup. Bake until the edges just begin to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool while you make the filling.
4. MAKE THE FILLING: In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, egg yolks, zest and salt.
5. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling into each of the cooled crusts. Bake until the centers of the pies only slightly jiggle, 9 to 11 minutes. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
6. Remove the pies from the muffin tin and garnish with freshly whipped cream and more lime zest to serve.
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These pies are a few bites of decadent, tart heaven- and it’s easy to reach for another one or two given their size and how they hit the spot on a day when the temperatures are soaring.
I can’t wait for the rain to go away so those belated-Independence Day cookouts can happen- because I’ll absolutely be making another batch of these!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 