Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 box (6 oz.) Rustic Bakery Gingersnap Cookies, crushed or ground into fine crumbs
• 3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling

• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
• ½ cup key lime juice (Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice) or roughly 16 fresh key limes, juiced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt
  

Meringue Topping

• 4 egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  

Instructions

1. Make the Crust

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In a Cuisinart or blender, grind up ginger snap cookies into fine crumbs.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the ginger snap cookie crumbs and melted butter until evenly coated.
4. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie dish to form an even layer and up the sides of pie pan to make crust.
5. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool slightly while you prepare the filling.

2. Prepare the Filling

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color and thicken a bit (about 20-25 seconds).
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk and sour cream to bowl and whisk until smooth and fully combined.
3. Pour in the key lime and lemon juices and continue mixing for another 20 seconds. The filling will begin to set and thicken as soon as the acids from the juice hit the mixture, this is normal.

3. Bake the Pie

1. Pour the filling onto the warm ginger snap crust.
2. Bake at 350°F for 12–15 minutes, just until the center has a soft jiggle when tapped.

4. Cool and Chill

• Let the pie cool completely on the counter, then refrigerate pie for at least 3–4 hours

5. Make the Meringue

1. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together until they form soft peaks.
2. Next, slowly add the sugar and continue mixing until the meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks.
3. Remove the pie from the refrigerator and spread the meringue over the chilled pie, making sure the meringue touches up to the crust all the way around pie, to prevent shrinking.
4. Bake at 400°F for 5–8 minutes, until the top of meringue turns a light golden color.
   (The meringue can burn quickly, so keep on eye on pie the entire time).
5. Return the pie to the refrigerator and chill for approximately 2 hours.