Key lime pie is the perfect American dessert for any summer get-together. This recipe was so much fun to make, from toasting the coconut flakes to making the whipped topping with my mixer. My favorite is the crust, as it’s made with pecan sandies cookies instead of traditional graham crackers. These were my grandpa’s favorite cookies, and making this brought back my favorite memories of him. The results are beautiful and will complement the dessert table at your next gathering. As it’s a no-bake recipe, it does take at least 4 hours to sit before serving; I recommend planning ahead for it to chill in the fridge after it’s finished.

To start, toast the shredded coconut flakes using the stovetop or oven method. (See the How-to link for additional instructions on this.) Set these aside when finished to start on the no-bake crust.

In a gallon-sized zipped bag, place the pecan sandies shortbread cookies and seal shut tightly. Crush the cookies into crumbs using your hands or a meat tenderizer (which is lots of fun, by the way)! If you have a child that likes to help in the kitchen, this is a fun activity for them to do to keep their hands busy.

Melt the butter, and mix the crushed pecan sandies and butter in a medium-sized bowl. Press into the bottom and sides of the pie plate to make the crust. Place the crust in the fridge to set while working on the pie filling.

In a large bowl, pour in the heavy whipping cream and beat with a mixer until it starts to thicken. This whipped topping recipe is similar to our how-to on standard homemade whipped topping, but in a much larger quantity and with coconut instead of vanilla. Thickening the whipping cream will take about five minutes on medium-high with an electric mixer so I recommend using a standing or hand mixer instead of whisking by hand. You can use a whisk if a mixer isn’t available, but it would most definitely count as an upper body workout if you did!

Once the whipping cream has thickened to where peaks are starting to form, add in the powdered sugar and coconut extract. Continue to beat with the mixer until the mixture is stiff, but do not overmix past this point to where lumps form. Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese, condensed milk, and lime juice from the fresh key limes until well blended. I would recommend using a whisk or mixer instead of a spatula to finely blend all of the ingredients. Once this is finished, gently fold in in two cups of the prepared heavy whipping mixture into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula. Once blended, scoop the cream cheese mixture into the prepared pie plate.

Scoop the remaining whipped cream mixture onto the prepared coconut cream cheese filling. Once this is finished, sprinkle the toasted shredded coconut flakes on top. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving to allow the pie filling to set before serving.

Key Lime Pie

Course: DessertsDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Resting time

minutes

Ingredients

Crust:
1 11.3 oz pkg. pecan shortbread cookies
1/3 cup butter
Pie:
4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup key lime juice

Directions

Toast shredded coconut, set aside. Crush pecan sandie shortbread cookies and melt butter.
Mix crushed pecan cookies and butter in a bowl, then press into the bottom and sides of pie plate. Place in fridge to set.
In a large bowl, whisk heavy whipping cream with mixer until thickened and peaks form. Add in powdered sugar and coconut extract until well combined and mixture has stiffened. Place in fridge to keep cool.
In separate bowl, combine softened cream cheese, condensed milk, and key lime juice with mixer. Fold in two cups of heavy whipping cream mixture gently until blended. Scoop into crust.
Scoop remaining whipped cream mixture on top of filling. Sprinkel with toasted coconut. Set for four hours before serving.