Bella’s Key Lime Pie

Introducing Bella’s Key Lime Pie — Isabella is my eldest child and today is her birthday; this was her request. This was my first time making Key Lime Pie! I learned during my research that it was invented soon after Borden introduced condensed milk, by the poorer folks down in the Keys of Florida that didn’t have ready access to fresh dairy came up with it. Well, thank you: my daughter loves it. Fun fact, this is only my second sweet lime recipe!

Bella’s Key Lime Pie Ingredients

Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Bella’s Key Lime Pie recipe:

• Graham cracker crumbs, unsweetened coconut shreds: Main components of our Key Lime Pie’s crust. Make sure you purchase unsweetened coconut. I toasted the shreds myself in a dry skillet over medium high heat, just tossing them until they were lightly browned.
• Salted butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar: I think using salted butter adds a nice contrast and offers some complexity to our Key Lime Pie, but use unsalted if you’re skeptical. The sugars are for the crust.
• Ground cinnamon, clear vanilla extract: Our only flavorings! Key Lime is the star, and we don’t want to take too much away from her. Regular vanilla extract is fine if that’s what you have on hand.
• Large eggs: Separated. We’ll only need one egg white, but we’ll need quite a few yolks. Most folks would make meringue for the top of their Key Lime Pie, but that’s not what my daughter wanted. I used them for a fluffy omelet I’ll share with y’all shortly.
• Sweetened condensed milk: Our only sweetener, save the sugars in the crust. It’s all we need! There is no substitute for this. If you don’t want to use it, you’ll want to find a different recipe that doesn’t call for it.
• Key limes, lime oil, green food coloring: You can use regular limes if you want. I wanted to be accurate, so I used key limes. Key limes are generally milder than regular limes, so you might want to reduce the amount of juice. You’ll only add the oil if you feel your filling isn’t tart enough after a taste test. Add a drop of green food coloring to the filling before baking to give it a gentle green hue.
• Whipped cream: I made my own (whipping cream, cornstarch, powdered sugar) but store bought is fine. Actually, I’d opt for cool whip!
• Cream cheese, mascarpone, sour cream: Sour cream for both key lime layers. It adds flavor and density. The other cheeses are for the cheesecake layer, and can be used interchangeably, meaning if you want to use all cream cheese or all mascarpone, or a different ratio of the two, it’ll work out fine.

How to Make Bella’s Key Lime Pie

Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Bella’s Key Lime Pie recipe:

• Make the Crust: Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, dark brown sugar, coconut shreds, and cinnamon. Mix in the browned butter and stir until everything is well combined, and the crumbs are all thoroughly moistened. Pour half of the crumb mixture into a 9″ springform pan lined with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to gently but firmly press the crumbs down into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Pour the remaining crumb mixture in and use the measuring cup to press it up along the sides of the springform pan. Beat together the egg white and water. Pour the egg was into the crust and use a basting brush to brush the egg wash all over the crust, up the sides and everything. This will prevent the filling from making the crust soggy. Bake the crust for 20–25 minutes, until the coconut is fragrant, and the crust is slightly deepened in color. Remove from the oven and let rest on the counter until cooled.
• Make the Key Lime Filling: Make sure an oven rack is located in the very center of the oven, then preheat it to 300°F again. In a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer affixed with the whisk attachment) beat together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice, and lime zest, just until combined. Pour the filling into the cooled graham cracker crust. Transfer the springform pan to a baking sheet. Bake the pie for 27–30 minutes, until the middle has set, but the outer edges of the pie still jiggle when you tap the side of the pan. Remove from the oven and let rest on the counter, covered loosely, until it comes to room temperature.
• Make the Whipped Key Lime Topping: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, mascarpone, lime juice, and sugar until no lumps remain. Use a silicone spatula to fold in the whipped cream, gently mixing until there are no streaks. Dollop the cream mixture on top of the cooled pie and use an off-set spatula to spread it out into an even layer from edge to edge. It’s up to you if you let it overlap the top of the crust (I did, a little).
• Finish and Enjoy! Sprinkle the lime zest all over the top of the pie, covering it lightly and evenly. Cover the key lime pie and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, lime slices, raspberry sauce, whatever you like. Dassit!

Obligatory Pinterest Graphics –

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