The Perfect Entertaining Dessert: Gaylord Palms Key Lime Pie Recipe

Living in Florida my entire life, I’ve had my share of good key lime pie. It’s consistently creamy, tart, and a light yellow-beige from using real Key Lime juice-not that weird green stuff you see in the freezer section. The crust is always a graham cracker base, and the topping should be real whipped cream, lightly sweetened, and smoothed onto the top of the pie. I prefer this over the frozen block that whipped cream tends to become if you freeze it AND the pie together.

A few years ago, a my food-loving mother (who has always made amazing pies of every kind-including key lime) somehow got her hands on the recipe for Gaylord Palms Key Lime Pie from a colleague. I made it only once, but beyond taking a trip down to the Blonde Giraffe in Key West, this version was about as authentic a key lime pie recipe as you could get.

The key to making the perfect key lime pie is truly in the juice. Key limes are tiny, hard to juice, and in some parts of the country, very hard to find. If you can’t get key limes in your area, or don’t have the time to juice them, order a few bottles of Nellie and Joe’s Real Key West Lime Juice to keep on hand. (It also makes for great margaritas, and a wonderful citrus marinade for fish or chicken)

Gaylord Palms Key Lime Pie Recipe

Crust Ingredients:

• 2 c graham cracker crumbs
• 3/4 c granulated sugar
• 1/4 c melted butter, unsalted

Pie Filling:

• 24 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 8 egg yolks
• 6 oz real Key West Lime Juice

Garnish (optional):

• Chopped, toasted pecan crumbs
• Fresh berries
• Dark Chocolate

Topping:

• 1/2 pint (1 cup) heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust Directions:

To make the crust, place graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in bowl and mix with a fork until thoroughly blended. Press into a 9-inch pie tin. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 F. Set aside to cool.

Filling Directions:

For the filling, pour condensed milk in stainless steel bowl, whisk in egg yolks and key lime juice. Pour into shell. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until edge of the pie is light brown. Set aside until cool to the touch and chill in refrigerator overnight.

Topping Directions:

For the whipped topping, whisk all ingredients until stiff peaks form. Spread mixture over cooled pie.  

To serve, garnish with a few fresh berries, or whipped cream.