Ah yes, one of my favorite days of the year. An excuse for all of us to celebrate local mathematicians and eat PIE. I never have been a huge fan of fruit pie. Put a slice of chocolate pie and cherry pie in front of me and I don’t have to think twice about which one I’m devouring. I didn’t have much key lime pie as a kid, because on holidays and special occasions there was always some sort of chocolate option involved. The only time I remember having key lime pie is when we would go to Florida. And even then, I wasn’t too impressed. But then I met a man named Neil, whose favorite pie just happens to be key lime. Over the years, Neil has taught me many things, one of them being how to appreciate the beauty of a good key lime pie. Sweet, fluffy whipped cream atop tangy, zesty, creamy filling, all surrounded by a nice crumbly graham cracker crust. Made just right, a good key lime pie now gives a chocolate dessert a run for its money in my book.

Key lime pie is also, in my opinion, one of the easiest pies to make. Thanks the Cuisinart Elemental 11 Food Processor, I can make the crust and the filling in a flash, and soon it’s ready for an overnight chill. Here are a few other things I really like about the Cuisinart Elemental 11 Food Processor:

-It’s light! We store our appliances around our kitchen basically anywhere we can find room. We keep this food processor in a cabinet waaaay up high, and it’s so much easier to retrieve than our other appliances.

-It’s easy to clean. Almost all of the pieces are dishwasher safe, so you can save time by throwing them in the dishwasher when you’re all done using it.

-It comes with multiple blades. With the Cuisinart Elemental 11 Food Processor, you can shred at medium or fine, chop and mix.

-Supreme® wide mouth feed tube makes it easy to add larger ingredients, including whole fruits and vegetables, to your recipes.

The dishes you can make with this appliance are endless. To make our key lime pie, first combine all of the ingredients for the crust together in the bowl of the food processor, and pulse until all crumbs are moist.

When it’s ready, it will look like wet sand, and some of the crumbs will stick together when pinched.

Pour the crumbs into an 8″ pie pan (a disposable pan is just fine), and pat them down evenly around the bottom and sides of the pan using your fingers. Bake the crust for just a little bit to allow it to come together.

Next, give the food processor a quick rinse and prepare the filling. Place all of the ingredients for the filling together in the bowl of the food processor and mix on high for about 30 seconds until well-combined.

Pour the filling into the pie pan.

Using a spatula, spread the filling in the crust evenly.

Bake for 12 minutes and allow to cool. While it’s cooling, make the whipped cream. Once cool, use a piping bag with a star tip or piping tool to create small stars of whipped cream atop the pie. Start on the outer edge and work inward.

Key lime pies are so darn pretty.

You could say this recipe is as easy as…well… you know.

Key Lime Pie

Prep Time: 25 min. Cook Time: 12 min. Decorate Time: 10 min. Cool Time: Overnight

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs (you can also use about 15 whole graham cracker sheets)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Filling:

Zest of 1 lime (or 3 key limes)

1/2 cup key lime juice (we like Neillie & Joe’s brand!)

2 egg yolks

14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Using the Cuisinart Elemental 11 Food Processor, pulse together all ingredients listed for the crust until all graham cracker crumbs are moist. Using your fingers, pat the crumbs evenly on the bottom and sides of an 8″ pie pan. Bake for about 6 minutes, until aromatic. Remove from oven and set aside.

Rinse and dry the Cuisinart Elemental 11 Food Processor and place back on the stand. Add all ingredients for the filling to the food processor bowl and mix on high for about 30 seconds until well-combined. Pour filling in the crust, and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 12 minutes, then set aside to cool.

*While cooling, make the whipped cream. Using an electric mixer, whisk the cream on high until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and continue to whisk about 30 seconds more, pausing to scrape down sides if needed. Once crust is cooled, use a piping bag with a star tip or a piping tool to create whipped cream stars. Begin stars on the outer edge of the pie and work inward in a circular pattern to the center of the pie.

Chill pie overnight and enjoy the next day.

*You can also chill the pie overnight at this point and make whipped cream the day that you serve your pie.

Cuisinart sponsored this post, and as compensation we received the Cuisinart Elemental 11 Food Processor. However, as always, all opinions are 100% our own. 

Love is in the air…

…and in the oven.

I love Valentine’s Day. I always have. I just like the idea of setting aside a special day to be sure to tell those you love that you care about them. Valentine’s Day parties in elementary school circa 1993 were the best. Our class would decorate our shoeboxes and bring in our brightly colored Lisa Frank valentines with a medicinal tasting sucker taped to the back (or if you’re lucky, yours had those small chocolate hearts with the crispies in them). We’d be sure to give them to everyone in the class, yes, even if they pick their nose. As soon as I got home, I would race upstairs with my shoebox, plop down on my bed, and read every word of the cards I received that day.

I didn’t necessarily want to give a valentine to every kid in the class, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Everyone needed a valentine, even if it was hard to give. What a great lesson I was reminded of each year. Love isn’t always easy to give. It’s not always convenient. And I don’t just mean in a relationship with your spouse. I mean showing love to the old woman driving super slow in the fast lane, the friend who just needs a listening ear just at the moment when you have to go, the person who consistently gossips about you but deep down just needs to be loved. Sometimes, showing love is hard. But on Valentine’s Day, even if you think it’s a fake holiday created by the card companies, you’re forced to think about love. So this year, think about it. Think about how you’re showing love to others. Think about who you’re showing love to. Think about how you could be showing that love differently. Let’s love bigger this year. Let’s love greater. Let’s love the way we were made to love.

If you are looking for a delectable dessert to make your valentine, look no further. This skillet cookie is actually easier than making chocolate chip cookies, with all the delicious chocolatey taste of a warm gooey chocolate chip cookie. The dough could be enough of a dessert in itself. Exhibit A:

To cook, or not to cook?

The top may seem more brown than you typically like, but it’s necessary for the cookie to cook all the way through. If you want to risk an even more gooey cookie, go for it, but know that we haven’t tested that quite yet.

You are sure to impress your valentine this year with this irresistible dessert!

Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

Prep Time: 15 min. Cook Time: 40 min. Cool Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg

1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Using an electric beater, cream the softened butter with the two sugars. Add the vanilla and egg and continue to beat until creamy. Add the flour mixture and continue to beat until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks using a wooden spoon.

Press dough into a small 8″ cast iron skillet and bake for 35-40 minutes until top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 20 minutes prior to serving.