If you love key lime you will love these Mini Key Lime Coconut Crust Pies. Even if you don’t like coconut adding this ingredient to the graham cracker crumbs and baking helps support the key lime custard and tastes divine. If you don’t like key lime you can substitute the key lime juice with fresh lemon juice. Either key lime lemon juice these mini tarts are delicious! Serve these little pies for spring or summer teas, brunches, dinners and holidays for individual servings.
What if you can’t find Key Limes?
No worries, you can use Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice found in the grocery aisle. I love Nellie & Joes brand, the key lime juice is made with actual key limes. They also have lemon juice and I recommend this product too. There are many key lime pie recipes out on the internet, so I am going to share the key lime recipe from Joe’s Cookbook from Miami, Florida. Also, Southern Living and Mary Shannon Wells coconut crust recipe. So lets get this recipe started.
How to Make Mini Key Lime Coconut Crust Pies
You will be baking these mini pies in a cupcake liner in a standard 12 cupcake baking pan. You can use 12 aluminum foil liners or 24 standard white paper liners. I doubled the 12 to 24 and used two white paper liners per cup. With cooking spray lightly coat inside and bottom of cupcake liners and place in cupcake/muffin baking pan. Set aside. Begin making the crust, as the crust will bake 5 minutes before adding the key lime custard/filling for baking. Preheat oven to 350° F. Oven rack in the middle of oven.
Making the Coconut Graham Cracker Crust
In bowl of food processor with steel blade, add 8 graham crackers, 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Pulse until crackers and coconut are crumbs. Add 8 tablespoons melted butter and pulse to blend.
Using 3 tablespoons per cupcake liner, press the crumbs up the sides and bottom of the liner. This is a bit tricky, but I used a small votive candle holder or shot glass size cup to press the crumbs on the bottom and help with the sides. It worked great. Once all liners have crusts, bake in oven for 5 minutes, no longer as you will be baking them again. Remove from oven while you are making the filling.
How to Make the Key Lime Custard Filling
Don’t freak out with the word custard… ha ha, this filling is a breeze. In a medium mixing bowl, add 3 egg yolks, whip with beaters until thick. Add one can sweetened condensed milk, continue beating until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the key lime juice. I used 2/3 cup as we like an extra key lime flavor. Joe’s cookbook recommends 2/3 cup key lime juice. Normal recipes will use 1/2 cup. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, continue to beat until well combined.
Pour the key lime custard/filling into a pouring measuring cup, you will have about 2 cups of filling. Divide the filling evenly among the 12 cupcake liners filling almost to the top of each liner. Bake in 350°F oven for 12-15 minutes. The center of the pies will be slightly firm. After they are removed from oven they will continue to bake and set up. Allow mini pies too cool before removing the cupcake liners.
Take a small paring knife and gently release the liner from the sides of the pan cavities if any crumbs are baked to the edges. This will help keep your cupcake filling intact when removing from liners.
Once cooled, remove liners and place on the serving tray. Make fresh whipped cream and pipe swirls on the top center of each pie. The crust will be crunchy, and crumbly, but it is ok, that is the correct way they will look and serve. I had a hard time with the crumbly look… as I like things not so rustic. But …. that is the way they will look and its delicious. The whipped cream adds perfection and flavor to the mini pies. A definite must for garnish.
How to Make Fresh Whipped Cream
You will need a hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment.
In a stand or medium mixing bowl, add 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla or creme bouquet flavoring. Creme bouquet tastes like lemon, lime, orange and vanilla mixed. I use it all the time for whipped cream, frostings and cakes. It is concentrated but I use the full amount called for in recipes. You would like it.
Why Heavy Whipping Cream for Fresh Whipped Cream?
Heavy Whipping cream holds up better and has more fat in the cream making the fresh whipped cream whip perfectly and tastes richer. Better than cool whip or artificial whipped creams plus no preservatives. Love that part. Great in hot chocolate too.
It must be well chilled as this helps when whipping to firm peaks. If you want softer peaks beat with wire whisk for about 5 minutes instead of 8 minutes for heavy cream. Always use a whisk beater, whether it is on a stand mixer or hand mixer. If you want to beat the heavy cream by hand you can but with a wire whisk, this will take about 15-20 minutes if you do it by hand .You can flavor whipped cream any flavor using extracts, or jams, fresh fruit even chocolate. Chocolate use dry cocoa powder or ganache. Add flavors after whipping the cream and blend into whipped cream especially if using jams and fruits. Extracts you can add at the beginning before whipping.
How to Garnish the Mini Key Lime Coconut Crust Pies
Fit a disposable piping bag with piping tip # 1 M or other shell tip. Fill piping bag with fresh whipped cream and pipe swirls on top of the cooled mini pies. Serve these cute little dessert pies on a stacked cake stand, tea stand, or pretty flat white platter or decorative plate.
Keep pies chilled until serving time and store leftovers in the refrigerator in covered container. Only pipe the mini pies right before serving. You can freeze these mini pies but with out whipped cream in a sealed container. Thaw before serving, no need to rebake. Pipe with fresh whipped cream and sprinkle with lemon or lime zest if you would like. Toasted coconut would also be great as a garnish.
PrintMini Key Lime Coconut Crust Pies
Crunchy coconut and graham cracker crumbs baked with key lime custard in mini cupcake liners make a quick and delicious dessert for spring, summer and holiday occasions.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12- 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45-60 minutes
- Yield: 12 mini pies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Coconut Graham Crust
1 cup graham crackers, about 8–9 grahams
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut- tested Baker’s
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons butter, melted-tested Land o Lakes
Key Lime Custard/Filing
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
1– 14 ounce can sweet condensed milk
2/3 cup Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lime zest- optional
Fresh Whipped Cream
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or creme bouquet flavoring
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Position oven rack in center of oven. Double 12 white cupcake liners and place inside a 12 cup standard muffin /cupcake baking pan. Lightly coat each liner in cup with cooking spray, make sure sides and bottom of liner are coated but not saturated. Lightly spray, use brush or finger to coat sides for even coat. Set aside.
Making Coconut Crust
1. In bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade add 8-9 graham crackers, coconut, 3 tablespoons sugar, process to crumbs. Add melted butter, process to blend. Remove from food processor, place 3 tablespoons crumbs into each liner. Press bottom and up the sides of the liner with crumbs, use a small shot glass to help pack and fit crumbs to the liner bottom and sides. If mixture is too dry and will not stick together add another tablespoon melted butter to entire crumb mixture and start again.
2. Bake coconut graham crusts in oven for 5 minutes only. You will be baking these crusts again next time with filling so be sure not to over bake the 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside while you make the key lime filling/custard.
Make Key Lime Filling/Custard
1. In medium mixing bowl, add 3 room temperature egg yolks, beat with standard beaters or paddle attachment. Eggs will be thick and creamy, beat about 3 -5 minutes.
2. Add one can sweetened condensed milk, beat to combine eggs and condensed milk. Mixture will be smooth and somewhat thick. Slowly add 2/3 cup key lime juice.
3. Add vanilla and salt, also add lime zest if desired at this time. It is optional. Beat to combine. Pour filling into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup to make it easier to pour into each cupcake liner. Or use a cupcake scoop, to fill the coconut crust liners 3/4 full.
4. Bake mini pies in oven for 12-15 minutes, watching as not to over brown the tops. Remove from oven and cool before removing from cupcake baking pan. Take a small paring knife and gently release the liner from the sides of the pan cavities if any crumbs are baked to the edges. This will help keep your cupcake filling intact when removing from liners.
5. Remove cupcake liners from crust, place mini pies on serving platter. Garnish with piped fresh whipped cream.
Fresh Whipped Cream
1.In medium mixing bowl, add 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla or creme bouquet flavoring. Whip on medium high speed until thick and creamy.
2.Fit disposable piping bag with piping tip 1M or your favorited tip. Fill piping bag with fresh whipped cream, pipe swirls or stars on each mini pie center. Garnish with lime zest, toasted coconut or nothing at all.
3. Serve mini pies on tired stand or pretty platter. Pipe Whipped Cream right before serving. Keep mini pies chilled. Store leftover pies in covered container in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
You can freeze the pies with out whipped cream in freezer zip lock or other freezer safe containers up to 30 days. Thaw before serving and no need to rebake.
Notes
- You can make lemon mini pies substitute Nellie & Joe’s key lime juice for their Lemon Juice or fresh squeezed lemons, using three large lemons for 2/3 cup.
Other Ideas You Might Like To Try:
