The Best Key Lime Pie
How can you know when you have found the very best key lime pie? It is an issue a flavor and view, but a lot in the know often prefer a graham cracker crust, a no-bake filling, and whipped cream topping.
Most creamy, flavorful Florida Keys fans probably have their own thoughts about what makes the perfect pie. We believe Kenney Chesney nailed it most of us in his tune about key lime pie using the words not sour, not too sweet.
Dark Chocolate Key Lime Pie Truffles
Smooth-as-silk key lime ganache filling enrobed in dark chocolate. These homemade truffles make me weak at the knees!
Today, 12 days before Sallys Candy Addiction Cookbooks manuscript is due, Im going to show you exactly how to make one of my favorite truffle recipes. Ive been surrounded by truffles for the past three months and have about 1 billion truffle recipe ideas in my head!
Youd think Id be sick of truffles by now. But, common. Bring on the chocolate!
Here is exactly where this recipe idea came from. About 10 years ago, my friend Amy was telling me about these incredible dark chocolate covered key lime pie treats she had in Florida one time. Key lime pie is her favorite dessert. Instead of birthday cake each year, she has key lime pie.
Back to those dark chocolate key lime pie treats. The slices of pie are frozen and sold on a stick. Yes, frozen key lime pie slices on a stick covered in chocolate. Have mercy. Amy says they are the ridiculously good. Uh, I can imagine. Naturally, the thought of them hasnt escaped my mind in 10 years. So I recreated them. Sorta.
Key lime pie truffles the centers are made from white chocolate and lime infused cream. Citrus-y tart lime pairs wonderfully with sweet white chocolate, no? To avoid a sugar rush , I cover the key lime truffles in dark chocolate. A little white chocolate drizzle, tinted very light green, is the perfect finishing touch.
The Best Zesty Key Lime Pie Recipe
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The BEST Key Lime Pie is the tartest in all the land! Its not the best Key Lime Pie recipe if you dont have to pucker up in my opinion. A super thick layer of zesty lime custard, a crunchy graham cracker crust, and a generous piping of lime whipped cream makes this classic dessert a dream come true!
The other day I teared up a bit when a Little Mermaid song played on the kids radio station. And then later that afternoon I got weepy listening to a country song. A country song, you guys. Pretty soon Im going to be crying over pet commercials. I dont know what it is about being pregnant that makes women cry so much, but it is a seriously unjust situation.
I almost cried again this afternoon, but it wasnt hormones this time. Valentine is two and has decided that naps are not her thing anymore. The new toddler bed is not helping. She was very quiet for two hours, leading me to think she was asleep, but OH NO. She was busy silently emptying every single drawer of the dresser in her closet where we store our craft and office supplies.
At least its not as bad as an old friend of mine who had twin baby girls. She put them down for a nap in their new toddler beds, and she thought they were asleep but really they were busy dumping 20 gallons of water on the floor from the water bottles they had stored in the closet. They had to replace the flooring. See? It could always be worse!
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What You Need To Know About Key Lime Pies
Basically, there are three parts to a key lime pie. The crust, the pie filling, and the topping. Here are the battleground issues: Graham cracker or pastry crust? Homemade or store-bought? Key limes, bottled juice, or regular limes? Whipped cream or meringue topping? Homemade or canned whipped cream? Cooked or uncooked? And the controversy goes on. Feuds have begun, alliances have dissolved, and friendships have ended over this simple pie. Its a battle of personal preference, family tradition, taste, and appearance, and no matter what your recipe, its important to know where you stand on the issue.
Key lime pie is the family favorite at our house. Always has been. We especially love it because it complements seafood and many of Floridas lighter dishes. Whenever we make a key lime pie, we have to make two as its consumed breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
We also make it a point to sample key lime pies in every restaurant we visit. We are self-proclaimed semi-professional key lime pie tasters.
So we took a trip to the Florida Keys, the birthplace of the signature dish, and decided to do a sample tasting of key lime pies. From Mile Marker 112, the measured distance on the north end of the Florida Keys to the southernmost point of Mile Marker 0 in Key West. We tasted plenty and since this was work related research, Weight Watcher points need not apply.
Its such a hard job, but someone had to do it.
We have come to the conclusion there are three types of key lime pies:
Where To Find The Best Key Lime Pie In Key West
There are many reasons to visit Key West in Florida.
From the bars that open at the crack of dawn to the chance to explore the third largest barrier reef in the world and enjoy the endless summer weather. Most importantly, however, is for the key lime pie in Key West.
Theres a lot of delicious foods to try while traveling in Key West. You can expect a wide array of seafood dishes, from lobster and crab to snapper, hogfish and grouper. But there are a few dishes that many consider the official foods of Key West. Conch fritters and key lime pie are among these.
Were here, in partnership with Hotels.com, to talk about key lime pie in Key West. Why you need to try and where you can find the best pie in the city.
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Lazy Days Restaurant Mm 799
Considered one of the best restaurants in the Keys, Lazy Days is known especially for fresh fish. This Islamorada oceanfront restaurant specializes in cooking your catch of the day if you have been out fishing or diving for lobster. The key lime pies are all made on the property, serving a huge slice with graham cracker crust topped with creamy, sweet, filling, and medium tartness. It makes an ideal dessert after fresh seafood.
The Five Best Places To Get Key Lime Pie In Key West
Key Lime Pie
JMichl / Getty
The Florida Keys are iconic for many reasons: the Beach Boys wrote songs about the islands, while Ernest Hemingway fished off its waters and wrote along its piers. But perhaps the singular most important contribution that Key West has provided to American culture is Key Lime Pie: a distillation of those laid-back island vibes into one singular dessert, thatlike Key West itselfis difficult to resist.
sign in Key West
cristianl / Getty
You will be unsurprised to discover that, to this day, Key West remains the best place in the world to consume this local delicacy. The Florida town is the birthplace of the dessert, after allthough that has been hotly contested on the internet For foodies and local historians alike, the Curry Mansion on 511 Caroline Street, built in 1868, is hallowed ground. The one-time residence of Floridas first self-made millionaire, William Curry, is allegedly where the magic happened, when his Aunt Sally invented the soon-to-be-iconic recipe in the mansions kitchen.
Key Lime Pie
mphillips007 / Getty
Though Aunt Sally may have had the first inclination to mix cake batter with lime, her innovation has since been reworked and refined in the past century. Whether you prefer your Key Lime Pie served on a popsicle, or in a jar , here are the best haunts for devouring the iconic Floridian dessert in Key West.
El Mason de Pepe
El Mason De Pepe
Key West Key Lime Shoppe
Key West Key Lime Shoppe
Kermits Key West Key Lime Shoppe
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How To Make Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
Begin by making the crust. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Using a spoon first and then your fingers, mix until evenly combined, making sure to break up any lumps of brown sugar.
Press the crust into an even 1/4-inch layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until golden around the edges, 7 to 8 minutes.
Let cool, then use a spoon to break into chunks.
Set the crust aside while you make the filling. To start, zest and juice the limes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the heavy cream, lime zest, lime juice and salt.
And beat until evenly combined, about 30 seconds.
Arrange half of the crust evenly over the bottom of an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan.
Pour the ice cream mixture over top.
Then cover with the remaining crust crumbles. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until completely firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
Enjoy!
How We Chose The Best Key Lime Pie Delivery Services
To select the best services, we weighed company history and accolades, quality of ingredients used in the pies, customer reviews, and pricing. A variety of flavors and other related items were also considered. For example, Key Lime Pie Company was chosen for its previous recognition in pie contests and best pie categories in addition to its century-old family recipe, while Kermits Key West Key Lime Shoppe was selected for its accolades as well as its extensive selection of key lime pie products.
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Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust
Key lime pie is traditionally made with graham cracker crust. Its the most wonderful crunchy, sweet, and buttery bed for the fresh key lime filling. But hey, how about getting a little nutty? You wont believe the difference macadamia nuts make. I use about 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts in place of some of the graham cracker crumbs and the result is pure bliss. Macadamia nuts are a gem and, as it turns out, often overlooked in the baking world. Why though? Theyre so good.
You only need 4 ingredients for this awesomely thick crust.
Pulse the macadamia nuts with graham crackers, then mix with melted butter and sugar. Because key limes are a little sweeter than regular limes, you will love the sweet/tangy key lime filling with the salty graham cracker macadamia nut crust.
Key Lime Pie Always Start With A Graham Cracker Crust
The pie starts with a graham cracker crust. I am terrible at crusts but gosh darnit, a homemade graham cracker crust tastes WAY better than a store bought one and its pretty simple to make. Just some graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter will do the trick.
Im a big fan of graham cracker crusts because they are super easy to make and go so well in many desserts. I use it in this Pistachio Pie and these No Bake Smores Cheesecake Bars.
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What Are The Ingredients In Key Lime Pie
Traditionally, a key lime pie’s filling consists of key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk. It typically sits in a graham cracker crust, although it can also be cooked in a more traditional pie crust. It is sometimes served without a topping but often has a light meringue topping made from egg whites or whipped cream. The pie is served chilled.
What Youll Need To Make Key Lime Pie
- Youll need 8 to 10 limes total for this recipe. Choose plump limes that give a little when you squeeze them they will be easier to juice. You should get about 2 tablespoons of juice from each lime. Be sure to zest the limes before you squeeze the juice from them, as its near impossible to do afterward.
- Sweetened condensed milk is canned milk from which water has been removed, and sugar has been added. Be sure not to confuse it with evaporated milk, which is usually sold right alongside.
- With no eggs, it may be hard to believe that this pie will set, but have faith it will.
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Burdines Waterfront Bar & Grill
So, we saved the most interesting and creative iteration for last! Burdines Waterfront Bar & Grill offers traditional Key Lime Pie, but that not the reason they made our list.
Their second version is why they have some of the best Key Lime Pie in Key West! Picture a perfectly fried chimichanga, but instead of a savory flavor you get a Key Lime Pie filling that is almost like ice cream.
They take a tortilla and wrap it around frozen Key Lime Pie, then they flash fry it and immediately top it with cinnamon sugar! Let us tell you, this is what Key Lime Pie dreams are made of!!
Burdines is located directly on the water and offers a full bar and grill menu with fresh burgers, seafood, and more. Located close to Sombrero Beach, Keys Art Glass Stained Glass Studio, and Salt Seekers Water Sports Equipment Rentals.
Well, we hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit about Key West, the origin of Key Lime Pie, and where to get all of the best Key Lime Pie in Key West! We have had so much fun touring all of these amazing places and we cannot wait to hear which one is your favorite. One last suggestionorder dessert first!!
Tips To Making The Best Key Lime Pie
- Allow it to cool down first , THEN place it in your fridge.
- Allow the pie to chill at least 3 hours
- Did you know placing things you need cold quickly on the BOTTOM shelf is best. Cold air falls. That is also what I did during the competition, placed it in the bottom of their commercial refrigerators I swear that helped me! I also told a few others to do the same :).
- Dont put whipped cream on until shortly before serving for best/prettiest results.
- Either dont cover the pie or have it in a domed container. Plastic wrap will stick your beautifully formed pie and mess it up.
If you enjoy making desserts as much as I do, you need to try one or all of the following:
Homemade Apple Fritters. Just a handful of ingredients yields a memorable dessert or breakfast treat! Everyone loves an Apple Fitter!
When cranberries are in season, this pie will get rave reviews! Its different and delicious! Get the recipe for this vintage Nantucket Cranberry Pie.
Post updated March 5, 2020Originally published May 12, 2017.
Enjoy!
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