Key Lime Pie Bites
Mini no-bake key lime pies in phyllo cups—tropical and refreshing
- 24mini phyllo cups(pre-made frozen)
- 8 ozcream cheese(softened)
- 14 ozsweetened condensed milk(1 can)
- 0.5 cupkey lime juice(fresh or bottled)
- 1 tbspkey lime zest
- 1 cupwhipped cream(for topping)
- 2 tbspgraham cracker crumbs(for garnish)
Fill phyllo cups up to 24 hours ahead. Add whipped cream topping just before serving to prevent sogginess.
- 1Beat cream cheese until smooth
- 2Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until combined
- 3Mix in key lime juice and zest until thickened
- 4Pipe or spoon filling into phyllo cups
- 5Refrigerate at least 2 hours until set
- 6Top with small dollop of whipped cream
- 7Garnish with graham cracker crumbs and lime zest
- 8Keep refrigerated until serving
Real key limes are smaller and more aromatic than Persian limes. Bottled key lime juice is perfectly acceptable. Keep cups cold on ice at outdoor parties.
Key lime pie is one of America's most precisely characterized regional desserts, its identity inseparable from the Florida Keys and the particular conditions that shaped it. The key lime tree (Citrus aurantiifolia), smaller, more aromatic, and more acidic than the Persian lime now common in supermarkets, was introduced to the Florida Keys by Spanish settlers in the 16th century. Before the Overseas Highway opened in 1930, the Florida Keys had no reliable source of fresh milk or ice, which is why the pie's filling relies on sweetened condensed milk, patented by Gail Borden in 1856 and brought to the Keys as a practical preserved staple. The acidity of the lime juice chemically thickens the condensed milk and egg yolks without baking — an effect of protein denaturation that Keys cooks discovered through practice rather than food science. Wikipedia confirms the earliest solid written recipe for key lime pie appears in a 1933 Miami newspaper, with the name "Key Lime Pie" first appearing in print in 1940. Florida statute 15.052, passed in July 2006, officially designated key lime pie the state pie of Florida. The bite-sized format serves a slice's worth of flavor in a single mouthful, matching the portability of the original to the demands of contemporary party service. The 1926 hurricane that destroyed most of the Keys' key lime groves means that nearly all key limes used commercially today come from Mexico and Central America.