Watermelon Key Lime Pie

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Spring Loaded Scoop

For a pretty way to style the whipped cream that’s also hassle free, use a small spring loaded scoop to create little balls of cream. It’s super easy to execute and doesn’t require any special tools like a piping bag. Just plop the little spheres of cream straight onto the pie and start piling them up in the center.

I have very vivid childhood memories of eating watermelon. Running up and down the street at our neighborhood block party with a huge slice. Sneaking ice cold slivers out of the fridge between meals. Sitting at the pool with my cousin and grandmother, pulling the Tupperware container out of the cooler and waiting impatiently while the adults got a 15 minute “courtesy swim.” Spitting the seeds as hard as I could at my brothers after they told me swallowing them would cause a watermelon to grow in my stomach (and then spending weeks wondering if they knew something I didn’t…yeah, I trusted them way too much.)

Moving back to my hometown has sparked a craving for nostalgic eats, and when I set out to make a pie celebrating this iconic fruit of my summers in Alabama, I also remembered how mysterious Key Lime Pie was to me as a kid. It was something my mom talked about from her years growing up in Florida but never ate outside the state because it wasn’t “the real stuff.“ The first memory I have of eating this elusive-to-me dessert was in my teens on a trip my mom and I took to Miami. I don’t remember if it fell into the authentic category or not, but I do remember thinking “this is delicious; why don’t we eat this more often?” I realize adding watermelon to the pie is definitely taking it a few step further from classic side of things, but it’s an ode to my childhood summers - and it’s also a down right delicious combination.

While there’s debate on whether Key Lime Pie originated in Florida or New York, there is no debate on watermelon and lime being complimentary flavors. And this pie brings that pairing to life in a sweet way. I recommend searching for the sweetest melon you can find. (That may likely be a seeded melon, which is fine because the juice gets trained.) The fuller in flavor the watermelon is, the more melon-flavored your pie will be. While lime and melon do go very well together, lime can easily over power watermelon’s flavor, so starting with a very sweet, boldly flavored melon will help balance the two. For the key lime juice, you could squeeze your own, but I honestly recommend saving a few dollars and lots of time by going for the best bottle stuff around - Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice. General grocery stores like Publix and Walmart should have it in stock. This pie is also a no-bake dessert! Even though we’re into the month of September, our heat index is still in the 95 to 100 degree range so you don’t have to heat up your kitchen to make this refreshing treat. I hope you give this recipe a try and feel a little bit like a kid running up and down the street with no care in the world (other than wondering if a watermelon might be sprouting in your belly….).

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watermelon key lime pie

Makes 1 (10-inch) pie

Crust:

• 1 (8.8 ounce) package biscoff cookies

• 1 cup almond meal

• 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

• 2 ounces melted dark chocolate

Filling: 

• 2 cups watermelon juice (about 1 pound watermelon flesh, pureed and strained through a sieve)

• ½ cup white sugar

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

• ¾ cup key lime juice

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  
  

Method

1. CRUST: Place cookies in a food processor and process until very finely ground. Add almond meal and pulse until combined. With processor running, slowly add melted butter. Stop and scrape sides of work bowl. With processor running again, add chocolate and continue mixing until fully combined. Brush a 10-inch pie plate lightly with oil or spray with non-stick baking spray. Press cookie crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Freeze while you make the filling.

2. FILLING: Reserve 3 tablespoon watermelon juice in a small bowl. Add remaining juice along with sugar and salt to a small pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes; remove from heat. 

3. In a large bowl, whisk together condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Slowly whisk 1 cup of hot juice into milk mixture until fully combined. Whisk milk mixture into pot until fully combined. Return to medium heat and cook, whisking frequently for 5 minutes. 

4. Whisk cornstarch into reserved watermelon juice until fully dissolved. Whisk into pot. Continue cooking, whisking constantly until mixture bubbles and thickens, about 5 more minutes. (Whisk should leave a defined trace and mixture should be about the thickness of pudding.) Pour into pie crust. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

5. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 6 hours or overnight. Top with sweetened whipped cream and lime zest before serving.

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Blueberry Cardamom Pie

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There isn’t much that feels more summery to me than a crispy-crusted juicy-centered blueberry pie. This particular recipe is one that has been a go-to in my recipe notebook for the past 5 years. I’ve been meaning to get it up on the blog so all of you can enjoy it too, and I’m glad I finally stopped procrastinating so y’all can enjoy it, too!

Roasted Sugar

This method requires white, granulated sugar. Cane, raw, or semi-refined sugars do not work as the granules are coated in molasses which may cause the sugar to burn or clump in the oven.

To make Roasted Sugar:

1. Heat oven to 320°.
2. Fill a ceramic or glass baking dish 2-inches deep with white granulated sugar. Place in oven and roast, stirring every 30 minutes, until sugar is a light tan, about 2 hours.

Want to know more? Here’s a more detailed recipe and how-to from Food52!

When retesting to confirm final measurements and times for this recipe, I decided to see if there were any ways I could improve the overall enjoyment of this pie without changing its flavor profile. I opted for using Roasted Sugar instead of plain granulated sugar. What this did for the overall flavor of the pie is remarkable while staying subtle. It essentially builds a strong foundation of flavor without stealing the spotlight from the fruit and cardamom. Using Roasted Sugar isn’t going to give you a noticeable flavor burst like adding almond extract or something similar would, but instead it adds a rich, slightly nutty sweetness to the pie versus simply increasing the glucose content and making it just plain ‘ole sweeter.

If you’re saying “Um, what are you even talking about, you can roast sugar?” the answer is “I know, it sounds weird, but yes!” Essentially, you are slowly caramelizing the sugar particles in the oven, while keeping them in their pantry-stable granulated form. Typically, this flavor is introduced to sweets by cooking sugar into a form of caramel on the stove top. But, this changes the molecular structure of the sugar and it can’t always be used in the same ways granulated can. Roasting the sugar brings out those same flavors while keeping the sugar in a form that can be creamed into fats for cakes and cookies, or used as it is here: stirred into the filling and worked into the pie crust.

In regards to the other maybe-weird ingredient in this pie: If you aren’t familiar with cardamom, it’s definitely a spice worth keeping in your pantry. (Confession, I first typed that as “panty” and I think it was really funny, so I’m sharing.) You can find already ground cardamom pretty easily in grocery stores these days. If you don’t think you’ll use it often, opt for buying the seeds (not the pods), and grind them when you’re ready to cook with it. It’ll taste much better. Penzey’s has the most flavorful cardamom in my opinion. (BUT, you should try Diaspora Co.’s heirloom cardamom when it’s on the market in August!)

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blueberry cardamom pie

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

ingredients

• ¾ cups Roasted Sugar* (see above)

• ⅓ cup tapioca flour

• 4½ cups fresh blueberries

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1½ teaspoon ground cardamom

• Classic Pie Dough (recipe follows)

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

method

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, tapioca flour, and cardamom. Mix in blueberries, lemon juice, and vanilla. Set aside.

3. Let pie dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. (This softens the dough slightly, so it’s easier to roll.) On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing into bottom and up sides. Fill with blueberry mixture.

4. Roll second disk of dough into a 14x9-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 2-inch-wide strips. Arrange strips in a lattice design on top of filling. Trim dough to extend 1 inch beyond edge of pie plate, if necessary. Fold edges over, pressing to seal, and crimp as desired. Brush with egg, and sprinkle lightly with additional sugar, if desired.

5. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°, and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 2 hours before serving. Store pie covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Classic Pie Dough

Makes 1 (9-inch) double crust pie

ingredients

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons Roasted Sugar*

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

• ⅔ cup ice water

• 1 tablespoon bourbon

method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter until largest pieces are the size of almonds.

2. In a small bowl, stir together ice water and bourbon. Using a fork, stir in ½ cup ice water mixture until a shaggy dough forms. Add additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as necessary. (Dough should be shaggy, but still look somewhat dry.)

3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured counter, and shape into a disk. Cut in half and shape again. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Pie dough can be double wrapped and frozen in freezer bags. Just thaw in fridge for 24 hours before rolling. Frozen dough is best if used within 4 months.

*Regular granulated white or cane sugar can be substituted in either recipe, if desired.

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Strawberry Sugar Cookies

Strawberry Sugar Cookies

Makes 15 large (¼-cup) cookies or 42 (1½-tablespoon) small cookies

ingredients

• 1 cup salted butter, softened (alternatively, use unsalted + ½ teaspoon kosher salt)

• 1½ cups granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoons baking soda

• ½ cup pink sprinkles (optional)

• ½ cup dark chocolate chunks or chips (optional)

• 1 (1.2-ounce) bag freeze-dried strawberries (about 2 cups)

method

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Line both a large and small baking sheet with non-stick parchment paper. (For the smaller pan, choose one that will fit in your freezer.)

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add egg and extracts. Beat for 1 minute at medium speed, scraping sides of the bowl as needed.

3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt (if using). With mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture, beating just until combined. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Add sprinkles and chocolate (if using), and mix until combined. Stop mixer. Fold strawberries into dough by hand with a stiff spatula.

4. Using a ¼ cup or 1½ tablespoon spring loaded scoop, scoop dough onto small lined baking sheet. (Dough balls can be touching.) Freeze for 15 minutes. Place dough balls on the lined large sheet 3 inches apart.

   (Dough can be baked in batches, if needed. Store in fridge tightly wrapped, and freeze just before baking. Dough will keep up to 3 days in fridge or 2 months in freezer.)

5. Bake small cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and large cookies for 14 to 16 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and center is mostly dry in appearance. Let cookies rest on pan for 5 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.  

Meyer Lemon Snowballs

If you’re looking for a last minute holiday cookie recipe, these snowballs are perfect. These little almond shortbreads flavored with Meyer lemon and tossed in powdered sugar are simple to make and last for several days if stored in an airtight container. If you don’t have Meyer lemons, you can substitute with your favorite citrus. Or, for more “festive” flavor, sub the tablespoon of lemon juice for bourbon and add a few fresh grates of nutmeg to the batter and over the top of the sugar coated cookies. (Eggnog snowballs? Heck yeah.)

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Meyer Lemon Snowballs

Makes about 36

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup almond flour

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice

• 1 ½  teaspoons Meyer lemon zest, plus more to garnish

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon almond extract

• 2 cups powdered sugar

 method

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours and salt. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla and almond extracts. Beat just until combined. 

4. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture. Beat until dough forms and becomes the consistency of playdough, about 20 seconds after all flour is added. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. (Using a 1½  tablespoon spring loaded scoop works wonders for this.) Place dough balls on baking sheet 1-inch apart. 

5. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until edges begin to brown and dough does not look wet. Cool for 5 minutes. Roll cookies in powdered sugar and set on a wire rack to cool completely. Toss in powdered sugar again once cool. Top with lemon zest, if desired. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to one week. 

Cranberry-Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies can be a pretty controversial thing for something so simple. Is the perfect cookie crispy, chewy, or cakey? Or is it chewy and crispy? Is the center doughy or is it dry? Should the chocolate be in chips, chunks, or wafers? Brown sugar, white sugar, or a mix of both? Hours-long debates could be held among cookie lovers about what qualifies a chocolate chip cookie as perfect.

This may or may not be the perfect chocolate chip cookie to you. I can’t make any guarantees other than it’s delicious and that’s all that might really matters; after all, you’re still eating a cookie packed with chocolate. What’s to hate? This cookie base starts with browned butter, a mix of brown and white sugars, gets a good dose of orange zest and vanilla, and then, for a touch of festive flavor, a big handful of fresh cranberries - and yes, of course, lots and lots of good dark chocolate…..chunks. I prefer buying a good bar and chopping it myself and throwing it in the dough - irregular sized chunks and tiny shavings alike. You can choose whatever form of chocolate you like, though. And, if cranberries aren’t your thing, leave them out or try a different fruit. Blueberries - yum! Dried chopped apricots - send me some!! Black raisins - okay, maybe we should talk…

An important note about this dough: It’s easy to make but it’s important to be patient. The dough requires a rest time of at least 30 minutes before shaping and baking. I know, it’s hard to wait for fresh baked cookies, but trust me, let the dough take a cat nap. This rest time allows the flavor to develop and it hydrates the flour, creating a better textured cookie.

Oh, did I mention this recipe makes huge cookies that are chewy on the inside (but not doughy) and crispy/caramelizes on the edges? You could call it perfect, but we won’t start that debate right now….you’ve got cookies to bake! The dough also freezes great and can be baked straight from the freezer. So, make a big batch, scoop it, and freeze the dough balls. Want to make smaller cookies to stuff holiday goodie boxes? Those instructions are included, too. Happy baking!

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CRANBERRY-ORANGE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Makes: about 15 (5-inch) cookies // about 32 (2.5-inch) cookies

ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 2 teaspoons orange zest

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup fresh cranberries

• 1 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chunks

method

1. Add butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the milk solids separate and brown (about 10 minutes starting with cold butter). Transfer to a bowl and let cool while you prep the remaining ingredients, or 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger. In another large mixing bowl, beat browned butter, sugars, and orange zest at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating for another minute. With mixer on low, gradually add flour until fully combined. Stop to scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Fold in chocolate, cranberries, and crystallized ginger. Let dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350º. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, shiny side up, and lightly spray with cooking spray.

4. For large cookies: Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough into balls. Arrange dough balls on lined baking sheet 4 inches apart. (Bake in batches.)

   Bake for 14 to 15 minutes. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

   For small cookies: Using a 1.5 tablespoon spring loaded scoop, scoop cookie dough into balls. Arrange dough balls on lined baking sheet 2 inches apart. (Bake in batches.)

   Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

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Freeze the dough

Freezing cookie dough is a great way to prep for busy baking seasons or to always have cookies on hand - because that’s obviously the best reason.

Scoop dough onto a wax paper lined pan. Freeze for several hours or overnight. Frozen dough can then be transferred to freezer bags. (This works for both cookie sizes.)

When ready to bake, preheat oven and bake as directed, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.