A Different Take on Key Lime Pie: Gingersnap Key Lime Pie

Our yard in Florida used to have a very prolific key lime tree, and we had a bountiful supply of key limes each winter season. While some of this crop was used to accompany Corona beers, many of these juicy little key limes were used to make key lime pies. I experimented with several different recipes until I found one that I always used. It was an online recipe that included 5 egg yolks, and had the typical graham cracker crust, which I bought pre-made. The pie was always popular with family and friends. But recently, I was encouraged to experiment with  a different recipe for key lime pie. This was inspired by trying one made by my friend, Ellen, in which she used a gingersnap crust! I thought it was delicious and different! So I was happy to find that one of my pie books,  A Year of Pies by Ashley English, had a recipe for "Gingersnap Key Lime Pie". I had to try this recipe!

This is a pretty simple recipe with few ingredients. Basically, the filling consists of key lime juice (fresh is better but bottled, which I used, will do), grated lime zest, sweetened condensed milk, and 3 egg yolks. The unique crust consists of crushed gingersnaps and melted butter, which is pressed into a buttered pie pan and then baked for 10 minutes. The filling is poured into the crust after the crust has cooled, and then the pie bakes for 15 minutes. So, in terms of prep and baking time, this pie is as easy as it gets!

The gingersnap crust really does provide a unique flavor for a key lime pie. I enjoyed the ginger taste combined with the tartness of the key lime juice. Ms. English seems to insist on using a good amount of grated lime, lemon, or orange jest in several of her citrus fruit recipes that I have made, and I think it succeeds in bringing out the flavor of the fruit. I will say that I think the gingersnap is the star of this pie, and one must appreciate ginger in order to fully relish this pie. My husband said it was very tasty, and he does love the flavor of ginger in many dishes! He actually preferred it to my other key lime pie! A dollop of whipped cream adds the final touch to this dessert!

I would definitely make this key lime pie again to serve to guests. I still will make my graham cracker one as well, as some folks may not appreciate the strong ginger flavor. What I love about trying new pie recipes is that there are so many opportunities to try new combinations. And that means even more pie eating! The way things are going, I could probably bake a different pie for every day of the year!