key lime mini pies

set of 6 Keebler mini graham cracker crusts

2 egg yolks

2 regular limes juiced and zested 

1 Tbsp sour cream at room temp.
3 oz cream cheese at room temp.
2/3 c sweetened and condensed milk
top with cool whip

preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  separate the egg yolks.  to the egg yolks, add zest and juice from 2 limes.  mix in sour cream, cream cheese, and sweetened and condensed milk until smooth.  let sit for 30 minutes.  the lime mixture should thicken slightly.  place mini graham cracker crusts (unfilled) on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 4 minutes until fragrant.  pour pie filling into warm crusts.  return to the oven for 15 minutes.  the filling should be set but not too firm.  let cool on the counter for 30 minutes.  place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  top with cool whip.  serve and enjoy (but probably not as much as me)!

I made a pretty tasty mini key lime pie but it was slightly more tart than expected and did not set as well as I had hoped.  I peeked around for other recipes to find one that had some ingredient that would help the pie firm up a tad more.  Some recipes called for sour cream, and others called for cream cheese.  Being a fan of both, I thought they would both do nicely in the pie.  I changed the quantities of the original ingredients, added the new ingredients, and loved the changes.  Including these helped the pie become a tad more firm: something in between a key lime pie and key lime cheesecake.  I really liked the new consistency and texture.  The other bonus was that now tartness was at the level I considered to be much more appropriate.

My family sort of has a history with taking unexpected treats on picnics.  My personal favorite was the picnic we surprised my dad with root beer floats.  While these little key lime pies are not the ice cream in a root beer float, that might I add was still as hard as ice cream pulled out of a freezer due to my mom's packing it in and around ice and ice packs, these little pies were intact and perfectly topped with whip cream when served.  I would have to call them a complete success for one of our picnics!

Now choosing the picture of the key lime pie to post was rather difficult.  My mother-in-law, Mona, and I had quite a fun time getting the pie ready for its debut, and we really couldn't decide just 1 from our three favorites.  So we decided to post them all - enjoy!