Creamiest Lime Cream Pie

This week's TWD was picked by Linda at Tender Crumb. I tweaked a few things in this recipe to make it more to our liking. First of all, I cut the amount of butter used. The recipe called for 2 1/2 sticks of butter to go in the cream. Holy. Cow. I remember just how buttery the buttercream frosting tasted in the Perfect Party Cake and I didn't want to repeat that. So I used 1 1/2 sticks of butter instead. It tasted just fine with that and, truth be told, I could have gotten away with just one stick.

I also supplemented the fresh squeezed lime juice with bottled because my 3 limes only gave half the amount needed. No biggie. Instead of using a regular pie crust or a graham cracker one, I made my own from pecan sandies. Have you ever had a pie with a pecan sandie crust? Oh my you must try it. Those little cookies translate perfectly into a cookie crumb crust.

Very pretty.

I also didn't do the meringue. I'm not a fan. So I just topped it with Cool Whip instead.

This was a good pie and got the thumbs up around here, but it was a little more labor intensive than I had thought, what with all the whisking for such a long time while making the cream. I have another recipe for a "Creamy Lemon Pie" that I've been making for years that tastes very similar to this one and is a breeze to make. Considering the flavors are so similar and the work involved is so drastically different, I think I'll stick with my old favorite. :-)

Creamy Lemon Pie

This is a wonderful pie recipe that I have been using during the summer for many years and the whole family loves it. It is a bit different from your average run of the mill lemon pie. It has a much fluffier texture and is very creamy.

1 (8 or 9 inch) baked pastry shell or graham cracker crumb crust

3 egg yolks

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1/2 C. lemon juice from concentrate ~ yellow food coloring, optional

whipped topping

Preheat oven to 325. In medium bowl, beat egg yolks with condensed milk, lemon juice and food coloring if desired. Pour into prepared pastry shell; bake 30 minutes. Cool and chill. Spread with whipped topping. Garnish with mint leaves. Refrigerate leftovers.

Hot Fudge Sauce

This is a wonderfully quick homemade recipe for hot fudge sauce that is perfect for ice cream.

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (3.4 oz.) package chocolate cook and serve pudding mix
1 (12 oz.) package semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 C. confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place evaporated milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add pudding mix gradually, whisking continually until dissolved.
Add chocolate chips and confectioners sugar. Cook, stirring continually, until chocolate chips are melted and mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat.
Add vanilla extract and mix well. Let stand to cool slightly.
Serve warm over ice cream. May store in the refrigerator and reheat as needed.