Recipe: Rum-Coconut Key Lime Pie

I've never made key lime pie before. I rarely make pies at all. Partly because they're difficult to share with the neighbors, and partly because I hate making pie crust. But I saw this recipe in a recent Pillsbury Casseroles and Potluck cookbook, and it sounded divine. Also? It doesn't use a traditional pie crust, but an incredibly yummy mix of coconut and crushed cookies.



Crust:
15 creme-filled vanilla sandwich cookies, finely crushed (I used Trader Joes brand cookies and pulsed in the food processor)
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice (about 10 limes)
1 teaspoon rum

Garnish, if desired:
Whipped cream (you can stabilize it with a few tablespoons of powdered sugar)
grated lime peel
Shredded coconut

Heat oven to 350F.

In small bowl, mix all crust ingredients; firmly press in bottom and up of side of ungreased 9 inch glass pie plate. (A clean measuring cup works great for this). Bake 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely.

In medium bowl , beat cream cheese and condensed milk with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add lime juice and rum, stirring to combine. Pour filling into crust. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hrs until set. Garnish with whipped cream, lime peel and shredded coconut.

Notes:
To toast coconut, place in a shallow layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until light brown, stirring frequently.

Eagle-eyed readers might notice that I garnished with lemon zest instead of lime. That's because the limes in my area were beyond sad. I also ended up using the bottled Key lime juice because my market didn't carry the fresh ones.

This is a pie that came together really quickly and has few ingredients. The crust is super sweet, but the filling keeps a little tartness, even with the condensed milk.