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Mini Key Lime Pies with Gingersnap Crust
Mini key lime pies made in muffin tins with a spiced gingersnap crust and a smooth, creamy key lime custard filling. These are the perfect personal sized desserts for entertaining or can also be frozen to enjoy individually later!
pies
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust
- 1 1/2 cup Gingersnap crumbs (About 20 ginger snap cookies, could vary depending on size)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
Key Lime Custard Filling
- 1 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tsp key lime zest
- 2/3 cup key lime juice (from 1 pound bag of key limes)
Topping
- Whipped Cream
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Equipment
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a food processor, pulse the gingersnap cookies and the light brown sugar until pulverized (should have a sand like consistency). Add in the melted butter and pulse again until the butter is fully incorporated.
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. The paper liners are very important for getting the key lime pies out of the tin later.
- Scoop 1 ½ tbsp of gingersnap crumbs into each muffin slot. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, press the crumbs down to pack them tightly. Repeat with each muffin slot.
- Bake in oven for 5 minutes for crust to set. Remove from oven and set aside. Keep oven on 350℉.
- While the crust is baking, assemble the key lime custard filling. First zest the key limes to equal 2 tsp of zest. Next, using a lime squeeze, place a mesh sieve or colander over a bowl or measuring cup. Squeeze all the key limes to equal ⅔ cup of juice. Since they have seeds, the mesh strainer will capture the seeds.
- In a medium sized bowl add the key lime juice, 2 tsp of key lime zest, sweetened condensed milk, and the egg yolks. Gently whisk until the yolks are fully incorporated into the condensed milk and lime juice.
- Grab your muffin tin with baked crust and fill each one with the custard mixture so they are ¾ of the way full (I use a measuring cup for ease of pouring). Lift your pan and gently knock it on the counter a few times. This will help the air/bubbles in the custard to settle so the key lime pies do not sink too much when they are baking.
- Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, the center should very slightly jiggle when they are done. Remove from the oven and place the entire muffin pan on a cooling rack for 1 hour. After they have cooled for 1 hour, place the whole muffin tin into the refrigerator for a minimum 3 hours. This part is extremely important so the custard fully cools/sets, do not skip the cooling or refrigeration.
- After your key lime pies have cooled for 3 hours, using a knife CAREFULLY slide the knife to pop them out of the bottom of the pan. The tops of the key lime pie will still be soft, but if you go straight down the side of the muffin tin with the knife, you will not damage them.
- Carefully unwrap the mini key lime pies and when ready to serve, top with whipped cream. The key lime pies are best served cooled. Enjoy!
Notes
Crust
- You can substitute graham crackers for the gingersnaps for the crust
Key Limes
- This recipe is written using fresh key lime juice. If you cannot find them, my recommended pre-made key lime juice is Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice. Fresh is always key.
- Regular limes and key limes have different flavors. Key limes are more sour, if you want to use lime’s in this recipe I would recommend 4 oz of lime juice and 2 oz of lemon juice.
- Color of key lime custard can vary depending on the color of your egg yolks
Toppings
- You can use the leftover 4 egg whites to make a homemade meringue topping if desired instead of whipped cream
- Save whip cream until ready to serve
Freezing/making ahead
- Freezer friendly recipe, you can make ahead and store in the freezer. Eat them frozen or defrost in refrigerator.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1pie, Calories: 146kcal (7%), Carbohydrates: 16g (5%), Protein: 2g (4%), Fat: 9g (14%), Saturated Fat: 5g (31%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 80mg (27%), Sodium: 83mg (4%), Potassium: 63mg (2%), Fiber: 0.3g (1%), Sugar: 7g (8%), Vitamin A: 262IU (5%), Calcium: 24mg (2%), Iron: 1mg (6%)