Frozen Key Lime Pie on a Stick (without the stick)

Key West is one of my favorite places on earth.  Whenever I am there I always get a frozen key lime pie on a stick.  If you have never frozen key lime pie on a stick, its exactly what it sounds like, except the whole thing is dipped in chocolate before its frozen. There are a few minor problems with these delicious pieces of chocolate covered goodness. First of all, I can only find them in Key West.  While I love to go there, I can’t just get up and drive 4 hours when a craving hits. Second, they are huge. It’s an entire slice of pie. I have a sweet tooth as big as anyone, but these are sugar overload. And splitting one turns into a melt-mess. So, I decided to do some experimenting and came up with my own version of this favorite treat. I miniaturized the pies and fancied up the crust by adding pecans to the mix. I also reduced the amount of chocolate by just using it as a topping rather than a coating. I think the pie/chocolate/crust ratio is much better now.  I hope you love them and that they take you in spirit to Key West.

Ingredients

Crust

One package (8) graham crackers

½ cup pecans

¼ cup sugar

1 stick butter, melted

Pie Filling

3 egg yolks

½ cup key lime juice

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Topping

½ 12oz bag chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Crust

Put graham crackers and pecans in ziploc bag and pound out (I use the bottom of a measuring cup) until crumbly. You could also use a food processor but the bag makes for less dishes to wash.  Add crumbled crackers, pecans, sugar and melted butter to a bowl and mix until coated. Place mini cupcake liners into a mini cupcake pan. Spoon crust into liners and press. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Pie

Mix all ingredients until combined. Fill pre-baked crusts about ½ to ¾ full. Bake for 10-15 minutes until set. Let cool on counter for 10-20 minutes then pop the whole pan in the freezer. Freeze for at least 30 minutes before adding topping.

Topping

Melt chocolate in microwave on high 30 seconds at a time. Be careful not to overcook. Spoon melted chocolate on top of mini pies. If the chocolate isn’t spreading evenly shake and tap the pan against the counter to help it spread. Put the whole pan back in the freezer. Once the chocolate is frozen, remove the pies from the pan and store in the freezer in an airtight container or Ziploc. Serve frozen with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

A few tips/variations.

If you have nut allergies feel free to leave the pecans out of the crust. You may have to reduce the butter a bit or add more graham crackers.

If you don’t have a mini cupcake pan you can use a regular size muffin pan or even a casserole dish. If you use the casserole dish just cut the pie into squares and dip the tops into chocolate. You have to be sure the pie is frozen solid and still cold when you dip the squares or else the pie will melt into your chocolate. Believe me, this makes a mess. The muffin tins are way easier!