Creamy Frozen Lime Pies with Cookie Crusts

An unappealing package of slightly dry brown-butter sugar cookies and a new found love of key lime pie inspired this recipe.  Crushing up some boring cookies with butter and sugar and baking them results in a seriously decadent, chewy crust.  I couldn’t find any key limes and this isn’t a traditional key lime pie recipe in any sense, but it’s a tasty imposter.  After a few minutes outside of the freezer this pie will resemble super dense lime ice cream in a thick crunchy cone and if you patiently wait many more minutes, it will have soft creamy, pudding like consistency in a chewier crust.  Try it at every stage!  Also, try my Homemade Refrigerator Fudge with the leftover sweetened condensed milk!

Makes 5 servings

For Crust:
1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs (crush any hard cookies with bottom of a bowl)
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons sugar

For Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon lime zest (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare 5-6 greased muffin or tart tins.  Mix cookie crumbs, melted butter and sugar together until well combined.  Press this mixture firmly into the tins creating a half-inch thick crust.  Bake crusts in the oven for 12 minutes, let cool completely. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and zest until smooth.  Spoon this mixture into the pie crusts.  Freeze the pies for at least 6 hours.  Serve pies slightly defrosted and keep any extras in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to enjoy.