Key Lime Pie For One

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350° F (177°C). Place 2 sheets of graham crackers in a ziplock bag, seal, and roll with a rolling pin or heavy can to crush. This yields about ¼ cup of crushed graham crackers. Alternatively, you can add the cookies to a food processor and pulse until the cookies turn to crumbs.

Step 2

Pour the cookie crumbs into a small bowl and stir in the melted butter.

Step 3

Pour the crumbs into a 10-ounce ramekin. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, press the crumbs gently so they form a crust on the bottom.

Step 4

Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Then, remove from the oven and set it aside to cool.

Step 5

Mix egg yolks and lime juice in a small mixing bowl.

Step 6

Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk until smooth and thick.

Step 7

Pour mixture into the crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Step 8

Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  When you are ready, take it out of the refrigerator, top either the entire pie with whipped cream, or add just a dollop to the top, and enjoy.

Step 9

Using an electric hand mixer or a balloon whisk, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until soft peaks form.As you whip the cream and sugar together, you'll start to see the mixture increasing in volume. The cream will begin to thicken, become smooth, and leave trails in the mixture. When you lift the beaters or take the whisk out of the cream, the peaks are soft and will curl downwards and melt back into themselves almost immediately.

Step 10

Recipe yields about ½ cup of fresh whipped cream.