Raise your hand if you’re enjoying every last bit of summer! We sure are!! And that means getting our fill of all the wonderful summer flavors before the days start getting cooler. Key Lime Cream Pie is the most perfect dessert for June, July, and August because it’s no bake. That’s right! Keep those ovens turned off because there’s no need to heat up the entire house for this show stopping treat. So I dunno if it’s the sugary, sweet cookie crust, the cool and refreshing Key Lime filling, or the light and fluffy made from scratch whipped cream topper, but a slice of this pie disappears quicker than any other dessert I’ve ever made. I literally cut a slice for my husband, went back to the kitchen to grab a slice for myself, and he was ready for round two before I could even sit down. And this guy’s a self-proclaimed “not a dessert person”. Needless to say I can see lots of Key Lime Cream Pies in my future.
Here’s all you’ll need: pecan shortbread cookies, butter, heavy whipping cream, confectioners’ sugar, coconut extract, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, Key lime juice, and shredded coconut.
I know you can’t wait to get started so here we go! Add the cookies to a food processor and crush in small batches. If you don’t have a food processor handy, you can always add them to a Ziploc bag and smash with a rolling pin or mallet. You’ll be tempted to taste test one of those shortbread cookies, but don’t. We used every last one of those Keebler Pecan Sandies for the pie crust.
Mix the crushed cookie pieces with 1/3 cup of melted butter (just a touch more than 5 Tablespoons of butter if you’re using the measurements on the side of the packaging). Press the cookie crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan. The deeper the better! Wait til you see how much whipped cream we layer on top of this sucker.
Add the heavy cream to a very large bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it begins to thicken, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the confectioners’ sugar and coconut extract. Gradually increase the mixer speed until you reach the highest setting. Beat on high for several minutes, until stiff peaks begin to form. Set aside.
I find that it’s helpful to move the beaters in a back and forth motion in the bowl. Every 30 seconds or so I’ll give it a swirl around the entire bowl. Stiff or firm peaks stand straight up when the beaters are lifted. If you’re working with a five speed mixer this process can take a little longer. Don’t give up on it!
Add the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice to another large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until well blended. We used Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice for this recipe, found at our local Wegmans grocery store. If you can get your hands on Key limes you can go the freshly squeezed route. But if you can’t find either of these items locally, regular ole limes will work in this recipe too!
Add two cups of the prepared whipped cream to the cream cheese/condensed milk mixture. Gently fold the whipped cream into the filling. I love the subtly colored filling but if you’re looking for a more authentically lime color you can add a drop of green food coloring to really make this layer pop.
Next spoon the filling into the prepared pie crust. Now doesn’t that look just absolutely delicious?!? Look at that crunchy cookie crust peeking up the sides.
Then top with mounds and mounds of whipped cream. I mean it’s homemade. You don’t get this kind of thing every day.
And for the finishing touch, top with a little toasted coconut. Add the coconut to a dry skillet (no need to add oil or anything like that). Cook over medium/low heat stirring frequently. Once the coconut starts to brown, you’re done!
Refrigerate Key Lime Cream Pie until serving. Garnish with lime slices if you wanna be fancy fancy. It’s like a little slice of Key West! Close your eyes and I bet you can feel the ocean breeze. In need of a staycation? Whip up a batch of our Blue Lagoon Margaritas or Tropical Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips next.
No Bake Key Lime Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 1 package (11.3 ounces) pecan shortbread cookies, crushed
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup Key lime juice
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
Directions
- Step 1 Add the cookies to a food processor and crush in small batches. Mix the crushed cookie pieces with 1/3 cup of melted butter. Press the cookie crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.
- Step 2 Add the heavy cream to a very large bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it begins to thicken, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the confectioners’ sugar and coconut extract. Gradually increase the mixer speed until you reach the highest setting. Beat on high for several minutes, until stiff peaks begin to form.
- Step 3 Add the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice to another large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until well blended. Add two cups of the prepared whipped cream to the cream cheese/condensed milk mixture. Gently fold the whipped cream into the filling.
- Step 4 Spoon the filling into the prepared pie crust. Top with the remaining whipped cream. There will lots so pile it high!
- Step 5 Add the coconut flakes to a dry skillet. Cook over medium/low heat stirring frequently until lightly browned. Sprinkle over pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve.Enjoy!
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