This recipe is incredible. I have made it multiple times now and it is a family favorite. To solve the "too much butter" debate once and for all. It is NOT a typo but you do need to use real white chocolate (I use Ghiardellhi brand) and make sure to melt it very slowly over a double boiler. If done correctly all of the butter is absorbed smoothly into the chocolate. I made a variation of this recipe that turned out wonderful today. I cut down the lime juice by maybe 1/8 cup and added about 1/2 cup or a little more pureed fresh strawberries. The result is a tangy strawberry lime endeavor that is just out of this world in taste!!! I have also added 2 pureed peaches to the lime juice and an additional egg. That version was wonderful too.
How could I not be tempted by a recipe with such an enticing name? I set upon to make this with great anticipation. Unfortunately, because of some problems I encountered, I can't rate this recipe highly. First, I think it's fair to say most will interpret a 9" pie pan to mean Pyrex. And even if not, since it would be at least fair to say they MIGHT use a Pyrex pie dish, the recipe should warn that freezing (or even chilling) the dish, then putting it into a hot oven, is not recommended, as it would invite a potentially serious accident of a shattered dish. This cautionary advisory is important! I chose to use an 8" square metal pan. Next, my years of baking experience should have alerted me that baking the crust 25 minutes is too long. So long that I threw out an expensive, over-browned crust and started over. Fifteen minutes was more like it. The butter/chocolate filling blended nicely, but just as I feared, once baked with the filling much of the butter melted and pooled at the top. I had to sop it up with paper towels. This was the ultimate deal breaker for me. To sum up the final result, the crust was tough and salty (I have not seen unsalted macadamia nuts - almonds would be a cheaper and no-salt option), the chocolate /butter filling too rich - like eating a stick of butter. The overall flavor was good, but largely due to the Key Lime pie filling. One could accomplish as good or better result, easier and cheaper too, just making a Key Lime Pie.
This recipe took me most of the day to make with having to freeze and bake and freeze and bake etc. BUT, it was SO-O-O-O worth it. I used only real lime juice and no concentrate, which makes a BIG difference in the flavor. I made it in an 8x8 square pan in bar form instead of pie, and it worked perfectly. If you have to impress them at the potluck and you have time to make it, bring this. I have never had any key lime anything that was this delicious.
This pie has excellent flavor and is ALWAYS a huge hit with family and friends everytime I make it. The only thing I change is completely omiting the butter in the white chocolate. It is 100% unnecessary. A good quality white chocolate is the only thing you need. I use 1 1/2 (= 6 oz) Ghirardelli's white choc. baking bar, or find any couverture chocolate. DO NOT use chips! They won't melt into the satiny liquid puddle of yumminess you want, and you will have a big gloppy mess. Also, be very careful when melting chocolate in your double boiler. One tiny droplet of water in your chocolate and it will seize.
I'm sorry to say I had very poor results with this pie. I love key lime pie and was sure this would be a fantastic one. Now I am wondering if the 8 tablespoons of butter you mix with the white chocolate is a misprint. That is way too much butter the white chocolate could not incorporate it. When I melted it and poured it into the pie crust it was already separating and the baked pie was positively swimming in butter during baking. There was a pool on top when I pulled it out of the oven that I had to sop up with paper towels. I also thought the crust was much too gritty like crunching gravel. For all the time I spent I was so disappointed. I've since then read that butter should never be mixed with melted chocolate but should have been melted with one tablespoon of shortening.
After searching forever for a good key lime and chocolate recipe, I happened upon this one and tried it. Fabulous! I made it with dark chocolate instead of white and turned out great. I also tried using half of the macadamias and adding pecans to the crust for a little different twist and that was good too. The possibilities are endless.
Insanely delicious! My whole family LOVED this key lime pie for Father's Day and even my dad (super critical) raved about it! I had no problems melting the chocolate w/butter in a double boiler, but it took some vigorous stirring to get it to combine. I would cut the chocolate/butter part by half though, as it created a very thick layer of chocolate that was hard to cut through. I would also add another half recipe for the pie crust, but we like a thick crust on our pies. But this recipe is perfectly good as is, too!
This pie is amazing! I'm not even a big key lime fan and I loved it! Those who like key lime will drool.
This was delicious! Time consuming but well worth it. The only problem I had was that some of the butter floated to the top but I also didn't let the white chocolate mixture set all the way before baking and I believe that was the source of the extra butter.
