Key Lime Pie has always felt like something out of the realm of what I can bake… mainly because I don’t have access to key limes. I didn’t even realize they were a separate lime until I saw them in a grocery store about a decade ago. I’m not sure where I would buy them now!
But, I recently came into possession of some key lime extract! I paid a visit to a baking store here in the Twin Cities – Lynn’s Cake Candy and Chocolate. And let me tell you, that place is a wonderland. Every baking item or utensil you can think of, specialty shaped pans for rent, decorations, dyes, sprinkles… and then of course, a huge selection of extracts! After browsing the store for half an hour, I finally decided to impulse buy a few extracts from the 50+ options. The best part was that they had them in tiny bottles! I got this key lime pie extract in a little bottle that probably holds about 2 teaspoons of extract. Which is perfect! I don’t need a massive bottle of it, I just wanted to do some experimenting.
So, Lynn, expect me to return. I joined the loyalty program without a second thought. And now I can make some key lime pie stuff at home!
I had thought that more of my family enjoyed key lime pie, but apparently not as many as I thought. Oh well! My sister likes it, and she’ll be having some of this! In lieu of making a whole pie, I decided to use up some of the leftover graham crumb I had from the s’mores cake I made a few days ago. Then it was just a matter of getting the key lime pie filling, for which I used another Milk Bar recipe (sue me) – liquid cheesecake.
And I think the key lime extract was really spot on! You never know whether extracts are going to be good or just… too strong and a weird/bad facsimile of the flavor. But this extract was pretty spot on, at least in liquid cheesecake!
So with only 1/2 teaspoon of my key lime pie extract used, I got key lime pie in a jar! And honestly… isn’t eating things out of a jar even more fun than just a slice of pie? No? Just me?
There’s a restaurant in Indy called Season 52 that has the most genius system for their desserts. Everything on their menu is under 550 calories or so, so you’re guaranteed to have a modest meal. Then, after your meal, they bring a stand with all of their dessert options to your table and walk you through each one. Each dessert is served in a little parfait glass, and are individual servings. So, you don’t want to share, especially after you’ve had such normal-sized meals. And, there’s one of each flavor on the stand, so everyone feels compelled to try a different one. It’s genius. I don’t think my family has ever passed up dessert there, and we are not usually dessert-at-restaurants people.
I think Key Lime Pie is one of their seasonal flavors as well, so they know what’s up!
In even more support of eating dessert out of jars… my parents have questioned me before, because I have a large supply of old jars lined up in the kitchen. But now I can say – this is what they’re for! They’re for storing homemade pesto, homemade sauces, homemade peanut butter, and… key lime pie in a jar! You never know when you may need to store a food item! You never know when you may want some pie in a jar!
This recipe is pretty flexible… It really depends on the size of the jars you’re using. I thought my jars were small, but I only ended up making 1 and a half of them. I could probably have made them half the size and not used the full jar, but I needed it for the photo op!
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Makes 2-3… depending on the size of your jars!
Ingredients
For the key lime pie liquid cheesecake:
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon key lime pie extract (or, key lime pie zest if you have some!)
For the graham crumb:
- 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (graham crackers that have been crushed into crumbs)
- 2 tbsp milk powder
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbs butter (melted) or as needed
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Make the graham crumb:
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper of a silicone baking mat.
- Toss the graham cracker crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.
- Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. The butter will act as glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters. The mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 1 to 1½ tablespoons butter and mix it in.
- Spread out on the lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until they have browned a bit and smell toasted. Allow the crumb to cool and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Make the liquid cheesecake:
- Heat the oven to 300°F. Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and paddle on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has been incorporated. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and salt. Add the milk, egg, and key lime extract, and whisk until smooth. With the mixer on medium-low speed, stream in the cornstarch-egg mixture. Paddle for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and loose.
- Line the bottom and sides of a 6×6 inch (or 9×4) baking pan with plastic wrap. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 15 minutes. Gently shake the pan. The cheesecake should be firmer and more set near the edges and jiggly and loose in the center. If it needs it, give it 5 more minutes, check on it again and then another 5 more minutes if needed. If it rises more than a 1/4 inch or begins to brown, take it out immediately.
- Cool completely to finish the baking process. Once cool, scoop out of the tin into a bowl and stire until smooth.
Assembly:
- Layer the liquid cheesecake and graham crumb in jars as desired.