Easy Key Lime Pie
My mom used to make this, a thinner, easy lazy chef’s pie, with graham cracker and cream cheese. If that offends you, see below for an oat crust with no cream cheese.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (keto version below)
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons butter melted
1 cup boiling water
3.4 ounce box lemon jello
16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 tablespoons key lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces heavy cream
Instructions
For easy clean up, place foil at the bottom of pan.
Combine graham cracker crumbs with sugar and butter in a bowl. Firmly press into the bottom and up the sides of a large 10.5" pie dish or into bottom of a rectagular 9x13" pan. Use the flat bottom of a glass to help even the surface and compact the crumbs.
Pour lemon jello into boiling water and stir until dissolved. Place into refrigerator until cooled to room temperature.
In a large bowl beat cream cheese with sugar, lime juice, lime zest and vanilla with an electric mixer until very smooth. Pour cooled jello (must be room temperature!) into the cheese mixture and beat until well combined.
In a separate bowl beat heavy cream until medium-stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into the jello/cheese mixture and mix until combined.
Pour into prepared crust and refrigerate until set-- about 2 hours. Serve chilled with whipped cream and lime wedges.
Gluten-free Graham Crackers (with video link)
INGREDIENTS
192 g almond flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or 1 tsp flax meal
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
80 g grass-fed butter at room temperature*
96 g golden erythritol
1 egg
INSTRUCTIONS
Add almond flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon to a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside.
Cream butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer, 2-3 minutes. Add in sweetener and continue to beat until thoroughly light and fluffy and much of the sweetener has dissolved.
Add in egg, mixing until just incorporated. The mixture will appear slightly 'broken' (i.e. not thoroughly smooth).
With your mixer on low, add in half of your flour mixture- mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the rest.
Wrap cookie dough with cling film (saran wrap) and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until nice and thin. Using a ruler or pastry cutter, cut dough lengthwise and then crosswise into squares. Prick each piece with a fork (optional).
Transfer parchment paper with the keto graham crackers to a baking sheet or tray, and place in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to baking. The shaped dough can be frozen for up to 3 months, and baked straight from the freezer (adding 2-3 minutes more to the baking time).
Bake for 8-12 minutes, until fully golden (depending on size and thickness). Keep an eye out for them, and note that if you like them crisp you'll want to push the baking time as much as possible (until deep golden).
Allow to cool for ten minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely, as they'll continue to crunch up (this may take a few hours for the sweetener to harden up again!).
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Alternative:
Ingredients
1 cup boiling water
1 small package lime jello
3 Tbsp. lime juice
8 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 packet Dream Whip, and the milk and vanilla it requires
1 graham cracker pie crust, Nilla Wafer crust works great, too
additional graham cracker crumbs for garnish, optional
Instructions
Combine boiling water, lime jello and lime juice in a medium bowl. Mix and let partially set (I stick mine in the fridge for about 20 minutes and it becomes partially set enough for me)
While jello is partially setting, In a large bowl, cream cream cheese and sugar together. Set aside.
Make packet of Dream Whip up according to box directions. Mine called for ½ cup COLD milk and ½ tsp. vanilla. Follow directions and store in fridge until ready to use.
Once jello is partially set, pour into cream cheese/sugar mixture bowl and beat to combine.
Fold in Dream Whip.
Pour into graham cracker crust and sprinkle additional graham cracker crumbs over the top if desired.
Cover and place in fridge until set.
Oat crust variation
I’ll be completely honest… this oat crust is hard to compare to the walnut base used in some of the other pies, or even to that graham cracker crust of traditional key lime pies. I did, however want to leave it up here as an option. Oats can be incredibly healing foods, especially when organic and not packed with tons of sugar. This became more of a great snack; filling coconut, seed and oat base… slight zest of that lime.
Crust:
Grind in dry blender:
1-1/2 cups organic oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or nuts of choice (or just more shredded coconut)
Then mix in wet stuff in a big bowl:
2 eggs, 2 chia eggs, or 2 flax eggs (2 Tbs powder with 1/2 cup water, let sit 5 min until gooey)
3 tbsp maple syrup (or any other liquid sweetener)
Instructions
Press the crust evenly into the bottom of a greased 8-inch (20 cm) pie pan or tart pan and about 2 inches (5 cm) up to the sides.
Cream:
1 can organic coconut milk
zest and juice of 1 lime (zest before cutting!)
4 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup light granulated sweetener (e.g. xylitol, erythritol, coconut sugar)
3 dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup cashews (soaked in hot water 30 min)
One packet gelatin (optional, makes thicker, but can do without)
Instructions
Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. Pour the cream onto the crust.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes if you like your pie more soft, or 40 min if you like it firmer and can be sliced better.
Turn off the oven and let the pie cool at room temperature for a while. Then put it into the fridge to set. Decorate with whipped coconut cream. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
