Okay, so what in the world does lemon pie have to do with the first day of school? Umm…nothing really. But let me explain…
Since my 5th grader started Kindergarten years ago, I have always made it a point to have a tasty treat waiting at home. Combine the excitement of the first day of school AND a yummy snack at home…HEAVEN!
So this year, I decided to continue the tradition with a lemon pie recipe that I have been dying to try. And since both of my children, Andrew and Claire, are citrus lovers, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity!
I originally found this recipe inside the Magnolia Table: a collection of recipes for gathering by Joanna Gaines. If you do not have this cookbook: 10 out of 10 recommend! I love it!
Enough chit-chatting, lets get down to business:
The key ingredients:
I placed roughly 25 graham cracker squares into a large ziplock and got my mallet after it. I tried to crush the crackers until it was a fine dust instead of leaving large pieces of graham crackers in the crust. Ehh…momma tried. But you could also place in a food processor and process until fine dust.
I made sure to use fresh lemons for this recipe. Lemons are the star here so skip the artificial squeeze lemon and juice those lemons, babe!
Pour into the pre-baked crust. Bake until middle is set (approx 10 minutes)
Time to whip it up, sugar! Whip your cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form.
So stinking good. Even the lemon pie nay-sayer husband requested seconds!
Lemon Pie
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil spray
- 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 3 cup sweetened condensed milk (I used 2 14 oz cans)
- 3 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I used 2 large lemons)
- Pinch of sea salt
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish
- lemon slices
- fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Use the vegetable oil spray and spray a light coat on a 9 inch pie plate.
- Crush your graham crackers. I used a large plastic Ziplock and made sure to create a fine dust. I tried not leave large pieces of graham cracker in the bag.
- Next, go ahead and place your graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter into a bowl and stir until well combined. Place this mixture inside your pie dish and press along the bottom and along the sides. Bake until firm. This took approx 10 minutes for myself.
- Using your stand mixer or a handheld mixer, beat the condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon juice, and salt on medium speed for 4 minutes.
- After removing the pie crust, pour this mixture into the baked crust. I made sure to tap the sides to ensure no bubbles. Return to oven and bake until center is set (tap side and check it middle is set) about 10 minutes.
- Cool the pie for 30 minutes. And then place into refrigerator for at lease 1 hour or until set.
- To ensure freshness, make the whipped cream right before serving. In a bowl, mix the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until the mixture is fluffy and the cream will hold a soft peak.
- Spread the whipped cream onto the pie and garnish with what your heart desires! I used lemons and mint. But raspberries would be amazing, too!
Notes
