Lemon Cream Pie with Gingersnap Cookie Crust

Journey with me again to 2012 — the final time I shared this good lemon cream pie recipe:

“Baking lemon pie brings memories of my Grandmother back to me. She made an incredible lemon pie with sky-high meringue. It was sensational, just like her. She was also very snippy and demanding at times. I think she mostly lived off of coffee and buttered toast, and the occasional chili from Wendy’s. I remember once she put a pizza in the oven and asked me why it looked so funny… it was upside down. True story. I miss her humor, attitude, and that lemon pie.”

Cheers to my Grandma, and to one of the best lemon pie you’ll ever make (or eat). Share it with family and friends for Easter, birthdays, showers, Mother’s Day, or simply to point out some love.

What makes this lemon cream pie further particular

The filling is (clearly) unbelievable, however the secret is the crust. The crust is comprised of pecans and gingersnap cookies and can significantly make you a pie baking goddess. Ginger and lemon? Yep. Ugh, I want you can reside in my thoughts. The taste mixture is ideal.

Unlike in my banana cream pie, you don’t must fastidiously “cook” the filling on the stovetop earlier than including it to the crust. You’ll simply whisk, pour, and bake!

Ingredients on this lemon cream pie recipe

I tweaked this recipe barely from the 13 years in the past and it significantly turned out higher than I even bear in mind. Here’s what you’ll want:

Can I make it gluten-free or dairy-free?

Unfortunately, I can not advocate a substitute on this recipe to make it gluten-free or dairy-free. If you’ve got a gluten-free pie crust you like, be at liberty to strive that and let me know within the feedback the way it goes!

The magic of bitter cream

You may be considering: wait, we’re including bitter cream to the filling?! Yes! Not solely does it give your filling a splendidly clean, creamy texture, but it surely additionally provides an additional stage of tartness with the lemon juice that balances out with the sugar, crust, and whipped cream topping.

If you’re out of bitter cream you can even use whole-milk or 2% Greek yogurt!

Not into ginger? Try a brand new crust

If you want a standard pie crust, be at liberty to make use of your favourite store-bought pie crust OR (even higher) strive my fool-proof all-butter pie crust.
I like to recommend swapping the gingersnaps for a unique cookie like biscoff cookies, vanilla wafers, or graham crackers.

How to make good lemon cream pie

Pulse the crust. Add the pecans and gingersnaps to the bowl of a food processor and pulse till they turn into high-quality crumbs. Add the butter and brown sugar and pulse once more till the combination appears to be like like moist sand.
Form & bake the crust. Pour the crust combination right into a 9-inch pie pan and evenly press into the underside and sides of your pan with clear fingers or the pack of a measuring cup. Bake, after which let it cool.
Mix the filling. Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl and use clear fingers to rub them collectively to infuse the sugar. Whisk in the remainder of the elements till clean.
Bake the pie. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust, then fastidiously switch to the oven and bake till the filling is about. It may be barely jiggly, simply ensure that it doesn’t look “wet.”
Cool, then cool once more. Let the pie cool to room temperature, then loosely cowl it with plastic wrap and funky within the fridge for 4 hours. This is essential, so don’t rush the cooling course of!
Make the whipped cream topping. Use an electrical stand mixer or hand mixer to beat collectively the whipped cream elements till good and fluffy.
Top, garnish & serve. Top the cooled pie with whipped cream and lemon zest, then slice and serve!

Can I make it forward of time?

Yes! Feel free to make the total lemon cream pie OR one of many elements 1-2 days forward of time. Here’s how:

To make pie crust forward of time: after baking the gingersnap pie crust, merely retailer it coated within the fridge till you’re able to assemble, bake, and chill the remainder of the pie.
To make filling forward of time: when you’ve whisked the filling collectively, cowl it with plastic wrap in order that the plastic is touching the highest of the filling (to stop air from getting in) and chill the filling within the fridge till you’re able to assemble and bake the pie. You also can make the whipped cream topping forward of time and retailer it in an hermetic container till you’re prepared so as to add it to the pie!

Recommended instruments

Get all of our kitchen necessities right here!

How to retailer lemon cream pie

Store any leftover lemon cream pie loosely coated with plastic wrap or foil within the fridge for as much as 3-4 days.

More lemon desserts you’ll love

Get all of my lemon recipes right here!

I hope you like this lemon cream pie recipe! If you make it make sure you go away a remark and a score so I understand how you preferred it. Enjoy, xo!

The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook

125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day

The Best Lemon Cream Pie You’ll Ever Eat

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 5 hours 50 minutes

Serves9 servings

The best possible lemon cream pie with a vivid, completely candy lemon custard filling and an unbelievable pecan gingersnap cookie crust. Top this lovely spring pie with selfmade whipped cream or a sprinkle of powdered sugar. This is the one lemon cream pie recipes you want!

Ingredients

Crust
2 cups (140g) gingersnap cookies (or sub biscoff cookies)
1 cup (100g) uncooked pecans
5 tablespoons (71g) salted butter, melted
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
Filling
1 cup (200g) sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
4 massive eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (150g) recent squeezed lemon juice
½ cup bitter cream (or sub whole-milk or 2% plain Greek yogurt)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Topping
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 levels F.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the gingersnap cookies and pecans and pulse till they turn into high-quality crumbs, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add melted butter and brown sugar and pulse once more till the cookie crumbs resemble moist sand, about 30 seconds.
Dump the combination right into a 9-inch pie pan and use clear fingers to evenly press the combination into the underside and sides of the pan. Sometimes I discover it useful to make use of a small measuring cup to assist set the crust firmly and get the crumbs up the aspect of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes then take away from the oven; if the crust bubbles up barely, very gently press it again down with a measuring cup. Allow the crust to chill for 10 to fifteen minutes. (The crust will must be considerably cool to the contact earlier than you may add the filling.)
In a big bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest and use clear fingers to rub the zest into the sugar for 30 seconds. This will infuse the lemon taste into the sugar. In the identical bowl, add within the eggs, lemon juice, bitter cream (or yogurt), cornstarch and salt. Whisk collectively till nicely mixed.
Pour combination into the cooled crust. Carefully switch the pie pan to the oven and bake till the filling is simply set, about 30 to 35 minutes; it’s okay if the filling seems to be simply barely jiggly within the heart, simply ensure that it isn’t moist trying. Cool pie at room temperature for 1 hour, then loosely cowl with plastic wrap and switch to the fridge to complete cooling, about 4 hours. Do not fear if the pie cracks, generally this occurs when you beat the filling too lengthy or if there’s a dramatic change in temperature (your home is chilly, and so on).
Make the whipped cream: Once the pie and filling are chilly and you’re able to serve, add heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of an electrical mixer (or use a hand mixer!); beat on high till cream reaches stiff peaks.
Evenly unfold whipped cream over pie filling, then garnish with further lemon zest. Cut into 9 to 12 slices and serve instantly.