THE EASIEST LEMON PIE RECIPE
As a little girl, lemon pie would mean a mixture of sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice on a bed of vanilla cookie crumbs. It didn’t have much structure. We made it on a pirex or ceramic dish and it was delicious.
A no stress lemon pie recipe that quickly became a house classic. As years went by, I tried a bunch of different recipes for the filling and the crust. The most important part in the lemon filling. There are many different ways to make this dessert, but I have never found a better flavor than the condensed milk, lemon juice filling we made as kids.
This Lemon pie recipe has that same delicious flavor but with a bit more structure. Creamy and with the perfect amount of lemon flavor.
WHAT IS A LEMON PIE?
The lemon pie can have a base made of pie dough, pastry dough or in this case vanilla cookies with butter. The filling is usually made of a cream that is cooked on the stove before adding it to the base. on the other hand, this lemon pie recipe has a filling that is baked with the base.
You can decorate the lemon pie with merengue, powdered sugar or, like in the photos, with extra cookies and lemon zest.
This lemon pie is made up of sweetened condensed milk, lemons, egg yolks, vanilla, and butter. Easy easy recipe with just a few ingredients. If you are going to decorate the lemon pie with merengue, save the egg whites!
EQUIPMENT:
Round Springform pan: The cake pan I used for this pie is a round 7 inch springform pan. The lemon filling is stiff, but very very creamy. Using a springform pan makes it so much easier to get it out for serving. Another option is to make it in a glass or ceramic baking dish. This way, you serve the lemon pie in the dish.
Potato smasher: I like using the potato smasher to crush the cookies for the base. This way, you have different sized cookies giving the pie an extra crunch. You can also just place all the cookies in a food processor and pulse until they are completely crushed.
Bowls: You’ll need a small bowl to melt the butter for the cookie base. Also, a medium bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer for the filling and an extra bowl fro the base mixture. If you are crushing the cookies in the food processor, you can just add the melted butter in there and pulse fro a few extra seconds to mix completely.
Mixer: The mixer I use is the kitchen aid stand mixer. I use the bowl that comes with it for the filling. You can use any type of mixer you have. Even a whisk works well, just mix it for a few extra minutes.
Aluminum foil: This is another tip I want to give to you. If you are making this lemon pie in a springform pan, use aluminum foil on top of the circle base. Close the pan and press the extra to the sides. This way, taking the lemon pie out is easier.
Grater: If you want to decorate the pie like in the photos, use a grater or a zester.
TIPS FOR A PERFECT LEMON PIE:
The look: I love a lemon meringue pie. The perfect combination of the tart lemon juice and the sweet meringue makes my heart sing. But, there are people who just take out the meringue of the equation and enjoy the lemon flavor alone. Also, if you don’t feel like making the meringue, this lemon pie is so so creamy and soft, you don’t really need it. If you decide to make the meringue anyways, my recommendation is to torch it a bit to give it a bit of color. It looks beautiful!
The flavor: The recipe calls for around 1/3 cup of lemon juice. Make sure you use the regular tart lemons and not the sweet ones.
Knowing when its baked: To know when your lemon pie is ready, very carefully, shake the pan a bit. The filling needs to shake a little bit but not too much. If it barely moves, its ready!
Prepping: Use butter for the base and sides of the pan. Make sure to use enough so that the sides and base don’t stick.
LEMON PIE
Ingredients
BASE
- 120 gr graham crackers
- 60 gr Melted butter
FILLING
- 1 Can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 Cup lemon juice.
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350F and spread the butter all over the pan.
- Crush the crackers completely and mix with melted butter. Place the mixture in the pan pressing well to the bottom and sides.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- For the filling, place all the ingredients in a bowl and using an electric mixer, mix for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour over bakes cookie base and bake for 15 minutes.
- Take the lemon pie out of the oven and let cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
- Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Enjoy!
