23 Comments

I’ve been obsessing over key lime pie for some reason this week, so this is timely and spot on. I’m making it today! Thank you!

Expand full comment

So graham cracker quantities. In Canada, our graham crackers (at least the HoneyMaid brand) come in a sleeve like saltines, and are square "singles". It looked like the ones in the video are in a sleeve that have double crackers, like two squares side by side? Is there any assessment of quantity of cracker crumbs in cups or grams please? I had this "issue" (ha, such a first world problem) when making nanaimo bars and Magic bars at xmas and ended up having some real ratio problems (not real problem!)

Expand full comment

haha it's a real graham cracker problem! I would estimate it's about 1.5 cups of crumbs!

Expand full comment

See I would have probably given up and just made gin and tonics with the bad limes 😬

Expand full comment

I literally made this yesterday (for the first time!) for my husband's birthday lol. Love the sharpness in the filling AND the bit in the whipped cream. I do have trouble with press-in crusts falling apart really easily? Should I increase the butter or coconut oil to keep the crust together?

Expand full comment

it shouldn't need any more fat-- perhaps the crumbs aren't crushed enough?

otherwise, I would just make sure they're very well mixed in with the melted butter/coconut oil!

Expand full comment

Thank you! I'm guessing the crumb is the wrong size. Can't wait to try again!

Expand full comment

Alison (or anyone who's done it), do you think these would work out as individual tarts? Only a couple/few inches across? I was thinking about them for a limited-seating sort of party, so they'd need to be sort of finger-food-ish.

Expand full comment

I've made mini key lime pies in a muffin tin before, and they were a resounding success; but I had to increase my crust recipe by half. I didn't use the whole increase for the crust, and I used the leftovers as sprinkles on top. I can't remember how many i got out of the recipe, but I want to say it was 10 maybe? It was 12 or less, I don't think I used my only muffin tin twice. They were definitely finger food-ISH as they were a bit big and crumbly but they were so good!

Expand full comment

I'm glad SJ has done it-- I haven't, but without trying, would say that they would most definitely work! I hope you have an excellent party :)

Expand full comment

Has anybody experience with a good European substitute for graham crackers? Not quite sure which way to go – might Digestive work?

Expand full comment

I think Biscoff cookies or Digestive would definitely work!

Expand full comment

Maybe a combo of digestives and pretzels? I find digestives overly sweet (but I suppose it depends on brand).

Expand full comment

Biscoff cookies make for a kind of greasy crust, IMO. I tried it once for key lime pie, and I think digestive biscuits are a better choice. Biscoffs are also sweeter than graham crackers.

Expand full comment

For juicing limes or lemons, I would recommend using either a hand-held citrus squeezer or an electric citrus juicer. You can purchase either for $16.99 on Amazon (although I hate recommending Amazon for anything). Either will make short work of the juicing job.

The advantage of the squeezer is it fits into a kitchen drawer.

The advantage of the electric juicer is that it has a built in cup to hold the juice, and can be used for anything up to orange size.

I would also be selective when choosing your limes from the grocery. Select thin-skinned ones; they make the "massaging" job that much easier, although with either of the above recommended tools, you really don't need to massage them much, unless you want to minimize the pulp in your juice. Squeeze them at the grocers if you're unsure, but you should be able to tell just by looking at them.

As for dry limes, your best bet it to select heavier limes. Water is one of the heaviest compounds on earth. Heavier limes will generally indicate a juicier lime. Juicier limes are also more cost effective, since limes are almost always sold by the piece, rather than by weight.

There are many reasons why a lime may be dry (google it!).

Expand full comment

Is it possible to make the whipped cream (at least slightly) in advance? I want to make this for a friend's birthday but am feeling like it is a little lame for me to have to use her kitchen during an outdoor birthday party to be whipping cream

Expand full comment

not alison but the recipe in her book says it can be done a few hours in advance! (she says 5 max iirc)

Expand full comment

You’re the best, thank you!

Expand full comment

I don't know if this is just a "me" mistake, but note on step 5 to let the pie cool on its own and come to room temp before sticking it in the fridge. Alison makes that note in the accompanying video tutorial.

Expand full comment

Made this for grandson’s 11th birthday (at his request). Followed recipe exactly and what a hit!!! I was skeptical because of all the lime juice, but it was all delicious! I will likely never make ordinary whipped cream again because the yogurt adds a lovely tang and is a great stabilizer. Thanks so much, Alison! Can hardly wait to see what’s next!

Expand full comment

So this is embarrassing, but I just took my pie out of the oven and it seems to have curdled somewhat? Or like the custard and lime juice have separated slightly? I'm not sure what I'm looking at. I'm guessing this could be rectified next time by doing a better job of incorporating the lime juice into the curd (my folding technique may have been on the wimpier side). But if there's another possible explanation, I'd love to hear it and learn!

Expand full comment

sorry to be ~that lesbian baker~ but has anyone successfully made this w a GF crust? i tried and it sort of failed. i am going to try and fridge the crust after i bake it in the hopes that the fat sets a bit. the GF ginger snaps i used didn't work great. will try again! open to hearing other GF ideas!

Expand full comment

This was awesome. So delicious that My husband and I couldn’t stop with just one piece! The tartness was great and it was not overly sweet which made it great. Thank you!!

Expand full comment