[Welcome to Popsicle Week, wherein I admit that I had something of a popsicle incident this summer, wherein incident = gotta a little carried away, made too many and now can’t let summer end without sharing the queue with you. This is Popsicle 1 of 3.]
This — and amazingly, not the fudge, banana-nutella-salted-pistachio or the strawberry-lime-black-pepper ones before it — is the popsicle that sent me into a tailspin that begin in late June and continues to this moment, when we managed to squeeze in one last vacation before summer was over but are maybe kind of sad we forgot our popsicle molds? No, that would be weird. Which doesn’t mean that it’s not true, just that I’m not going to admit it.
You’d think that the one that sent me over the edge into some sort of popsicle fevor/fervor would at least been insanely decadent, all salted caramel ganache and peanut butter penuche. At the least, it would have been extraordinary in complexity, one of those recipes that imagine you’d like to tether yourself to the freezer for an afternoon in the name of a stunning striated popsicle, frozen in segregated layers (but that, sadly, disappear in the exact same amount of time as the frozen juice varieties do). You wouldn’t guess that it might be a popsicle with but five ingredients, one that is no more complicated than a pinch of salt and another that comes straight from a can.
But when we tried one, I swear, the world stopped for a second. The lime was so bracingly tart, the sweetened condensed milk was so rich with concentrated creaminess, the exterior crunch of ground cookies so brilliant that we had to sit down for a minute and consider the nirvana it all. Tina Fey once said that she believes that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich, but I think it’s just because she hasn’t had one of these yet.
Before this, I hadn’t considered that popsicles were just a format, a shape you could mold your favorite desserts into, rendering them more portable and perfect for sticky hot summer days. Before this, there wouldn’t have been a Popsicle Week and, lo, how sad that would have been.
UK Book Tour: Just in case you missed it, I announced some book tour dates on the other side of the pond (no big deal) (SUCH A big deal) last week. All of the details we have are here. More to come. [The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook UK Book Tour]
Three years ago: Eggplant Salad Toasts
Four years ago: Lobster Rolls and Espresso Chiffon Cake with Instant Fudge Frosting
Five years ago: Grilled Eggplant with Caponata Salsa and How to Poach An Egg, Smitten Kitchen-Style
Six years ago: Smoke-Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers
Key Lime Pie Popsicles
Perfect as printed from Fany Gerson’s Paletas
If you don’t have key limes, you can absolutely use regular limes (as I did). However, the name “lime pie” just doesn’t evoke what I wanted it to, which was the sheer lime-and-cream deliciousness the pie is known for. These popsicles, despite the sweetness from the condensed milk, are surprisingly tart. The preschooler wanted no part in them, which just meant that there were more for us, nyah-nyah.
No popsicle molds? You could any kind of tiny cup to mold them instead, but my favorite is a champagne flute for shape; you could even use those disposable plastic ones. When the mixture is halfway frozen, insert a popsicle stick and now no retro popsicle mold needs to come between you and Popsicle Week.
Makes 10 1/3-cup or 3-ounce popsicles
Approximately 4 large regular limes or 6 to 7 several key limes
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half (or, 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup milk)
Pinch of salt
3 cups coarsely crushed graham crackers or Maria cookies
Zest however many of the limes needed until you have 2 teaspoons total in the bottom of a medium bowl. Juice limes until you have 3/4 cup fresh lime juice. Add juice, condensed milk, half-and-half and salt to zest and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for about 5 hours, or until completely frozen.
Dip in lukewarm water for 10 seconds to unmold each popsicle and press each side into crushed cookie crumbs, coating completely.
I blog about Belize and these SCREAM our country. Yum…yum…yum…yum…yum. Key Lime Pie is my favorite dessert but I might try Ginger Snaps. What do you think?
YESS!! Ginger snaps!!! The best cheesecake I ever made was with a gingersnap crust. Total game changer. Please tell us you used them!
Key lime pie in popsicle form??? Be still my beating heart! I have some frozen key lime juice packed away from the winter, and now I know what I will be using it for! Thank you!
These will be my go-to popsicles forever. There is nothing better than lime. Nothing.
Quick typo – in the directions, when whisking, you don’t mention the condensed milk. I’m sure we all know to add it, but someone might not be able to figure it out. =)
Deb, the directions don’t seem to include the sweetened condensed milk? I assume it gets added with the half-and-half?
I’m guessing the sweetened condensed milk goes in with the half-and-half/salt (unless it’s just there for moral support)?
These look fantastic, I can’t wait to try these when it gets warmer!
YUM!!!
Lurve, Deb. I cannot seem to get enough lime into my daily intake – these are being made today! If your toddler thought they were too tart, any suggestions on making them a little sweeter?
Made these two weeks ago after checking Fany Gerson’s book out of the local library. They were a tremendous hit and I’ve had requests for a repeat from the family. I have no excuse since limes are 10 for $1.99, but variety is the spice of life! Today the Quick Coconut Ice Pops (on the next page!) are on the menu.
I love key lime pie to the point that I am willing to zest and juice dozens of the tiny key limes just to get the freshest flavor (it there such a thing as zester’s wrist? Because I think I’ve had it). The fact that you only need 6-7 of them for this recipe is in itself a great reason to try it.
Gorgeous! Key lime is one of my favorite flavors… I see these popsicles becoming a new staple summer dessert!
I’m loving this idea for the last week of summer vacation for the kids and my last week of for the summer too. Great timing, great idea!!
Whoops — the sweetened condensed milk is added with everything else. I’ll edit it later, when we are back from our Maine rainy morning adventures!
These look wonderful Deb! Yay for popsicle week!I so need a juicer like yours!
Agggh. We have gone vegan. I *love* key lime pie but can no longer do the condensed milk. Must experiment with substitutes!
What did you use as substitutes for the dairy? I’m thinking coconut cream is too flavorful for this. But I’m dairy-free so was trying to think of replacements!
There is coconut sweetened condensed milk I’ve seen in the stores! That’s what I’m going to use when I make these, since we are vegan as well. I imagine the coconut flavor with the line will be fantastic!
I’m dairy and sugar free so I had the same challenge and then some. Substituted coconut creme (have to warm to declump) and cashew milk and added crushed pineapple to make up for the lost sweetness of the condensed milk. Delicious and loved by my non-sugar&dairy-avoiding family members! (Will try to coconut milk instead of creams next time just to compare.)
Any recommendations for popsicle molds?
These look amazing! I’ve been on a popsicle kick lately too! :)
Lovely! A way to extend summer! I made tomato and peach sorbet, not together but each was yummy!
I am going to try and make these today! They look really refreshing, and (even though it’s kind of an oxymoron), Wisconsin is going through a heat wave.
@shris: you could try using canned cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez) for the sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk for the half and half. Depending on how sweet the cream of coconut is, you might have to taste and add more sugar.
Hope that helps!
I love home made Popsicles, and I make them all summer long. From simple fruit to more elaborate combinations and liquor-spiked ones, they never fail to please. These look great.
Most grocery stores sell really good quality key lime juice- look for the Nellie & Joe’s brand!
I’m obsessed with Paletas, it’s such a deceiving book – so small but every recipe is a winner. Did you see the pecan ones? Holy crap.
One of my favorite things is a shot of espresso with a scant tsp of sweetened condensed milk, and I think there’s an ice pop in there somewhere. Gotta make that soon.
@Meredith- I think Deb uses the Norpro Ice Pop Makers (they now have a plastic lid, they used to have a metal lid). I’ve been using the Tovolo Groovy molds and I do like them, they’re a little larger (~1/2 cup) and really cute but it only makes 6, so I usually have a bit of extra popsicle mixture left over which is a bummer. I also use sticks instead of the lids that came with the mold because they’re a little clumsy. I’m going to switch to the Norpro mold, since most recipes I’ve found use those (Paletas, People’s Pops, etc.)
I can’t believe I haven’t made popsicles this year, yet! I am definitely giving these ones a try. Thank you for the virtual kick in the butt, Deb! ;)
How come that most of delicious things is so easy to make :) Great recipe.
Molds…check. Popsicle obsession…check. Ingredients… check. This time I was ready since I broke down and bought the pop molds when you posted the last recipe ( the strawberry ones). The last batch I made was a mango lassi one with pistachios. I look at everything now and wonder if there’s a potential pop in it. Oh, and of course key lime pie ( the real stuff made with condensed milk) is my favorite dessert. This is why I love this blog.
Key lime pie is already one of my favorite treats, and in popsicle form – even better!
This reminds me of when I went to the Florida Keys and they had a wonderful lil’ dessert that was chocolate covered frozen key lime pie– on a stick!
You’ve made my day yet again, Smitten Kitchen! As if things could get any better, then you throw in the cookie crumbs touch.
From your adoring fan.
What, pray tell, are Maria cookies? Inquiring minds need to know! Recipe looks great! Who needs a reason to make popsicles? Yum!
i love key limes! great new way to get some in my tummy…
Love that graham coating!!
These look great!
Lemon Icebox Pie was a well-loved dessert when I was growing up in 1950s New Orleans. It predisposed me to love Key Lime Pie on my first trip to Florida in the ’70s.
Those two pie recipes are so similar that with minimal tweaking, I bet you could make a delicious lemon paleta using lemon juice and lemon rind in place of the lime juice and lime rind.
What beautiful little popsicles! I’m in love with condensed milk, so I have a feeling that it will be made and consumed ASAP! It’s a good thing that the recipe calls for a whole can or else everything leftover from a can of condensed milk is immediately gobbled up. :)
This is a “cool” recipe… LOL. I live popsicles and the versatility. I made a wine-sickle recipe this summer that was wildly popular. Rock on with your sickles.
First time poster but long-time fan: Deb, I see how this sent you into a tailspin. The picture of the cookie crumbs on the outside without even knowing what the flavor was made me want to make popsicles.
While eating a popsicle at the farmer’s market last week an idea popped into my head for an “apple pie popsicle” with frozen baked apple popsicles coated in crumb topping and if there were a way to get vanilla ice cream into that all the better. Since I have yet to make one popsicle, I’m sharing the idea since we are on the threshold of apple and apple pie season.
Oh. My. God. This is genius.
How simple! I loved it! Thanks!
Key lime pie is one of my favorites! I am very excited to try your version, which sounds way better than my attempt. I concocted a “key lime pie” frozen yogurt earlier this summer (full fat greek yogurt, half and half, sugar, lime juice & zest, and graham cracker crust chunks). Sadly it was not finished and then it was forgotten in the back of the freezer. When I found it last week and I let it melt on the counter and then poured into popsicle molds in an effort to “save it” from the freezer frost that it had developed. They turned out a little ice-y but better than wasting all that lime-y goodness!
Deb, where did you get those fab popsicle molds?
Bah. Key limes are overrated. They lack the lovely floral complexity of Persian limes, and squeezing enough of them to get an appreciable amount of juice is an exercise in tedium. The only thing they’ve got going for ’em is their relatively consistent juiciness.
These popsicles, on the other hand, may finally push me over the edge and straight to Amazon for the molds!
For a vegan version!
Try full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream in place of the cream and sweetened condensed milk. Add extra sweetener, like agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or coconut nectar, to taste.
Now imagine the whole thing dipped in chocolate. No freezer burn. Instead of a wedding cake, we had frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate.
I don’t have popsicle molds, but I’m guessing I can throw this whole mess into my gelato maker with excellent results!
I don’t have a freezer in my little London flat…why are you doing this to me?!
These look so refreshing, yet so rich at the same time. My husband and I honeymooned in Key West. occasionally i feel nostalgic about our time there and search for new key lime recipes to enjoy. I’ll definitely be trying these the next time I reminisce about the Keys.
OMG. Lime popsicles are my favorite. That’s it…I’m buying those popsicle molds I always wanted–today!!–and making this. Numm–my!!
Looking at the result seeing that it probably doesn’t but just to be sure, doesn’t the lime juice curdle the half and half?
Missing condensed milk in directions — Now fixed, thanks.
Mandy — No. It might if it were heated, or not in the presence of all of that thick sweetened condensed milk.
Popsicle molds — Are from Norpro. I ordered them on Amazon a couple years ago. The metal lid ones look pretty, but the metal parts are not dishwasher safe, so I’d recommend the plastic ones instead. [Link]
Marie/Maria cookies — You can read more about them here. It’s a type of rich tea biscuit.
krystina — The pecan look amazing. You’re almost making a pecan milk, which I would pick in a heartbeat over the cashew and almond milks that are all the rage these days.
Ben — Ha! Maybe. What are you using to zest?
cck — You could add some granulated sugar or honey. Or you might just have a different kid who doesn’t mind them. I figure it was his loss, as was the incredible sliced fruit he rejected at breakfast or the [insert encyclopedia volume of perfect foods child has rejected that I shrug off]… ;)
I love the “crust” on the pie! So fun!
Popsicle Week sounds like just the inspiration I need to bust out the popsicle mold I was so sure I’d use this summer… and then didn’t. Just in time while it’s still warm out!
for anyone who likes making popsicles check out the book people’s pops… best popsicle recipes ever and so fresh!
That is brilliant, and looks sooo good!
YU-UM!
~ i s a b e l l e
Oh my goodness, my favorite pie in a pop!
Hi Deb – love that you showcased these! Marvelous, aren’t they? These are my “go to” popsicles! I have also made other variations e.g. 1 cup crushed pineapple plus 2 T. Amaretto….yum. I use 1% organic milk vs. half and half and don’t think it misses a beat. An orange variation with a little Amaretto = good too! I don’t have popsicle molds so I use 3 oz Dixie cups and insert a wooden stick in them after about 90 min. in freezer.
I’ve been craving key lime pie for so long! My mom used to make it with meringue but she has sworn off eating most anything fun.
I have updated my grocery list and I’ll be making these soon!
two of my favorite things – lime flavored treats and graham cracker crumbs! i love anything thats tart with a bit of crunch!
would it be crazy talk to add this to the ice cream maker and make some key lime ice cream with graham cracker crumbles?
Oh, yeah, the Marie looks similar to the German Leibniz Butterkeks. I think they might be more similar to animal crackers in the U.S.A. then to graham crackers (which to me are sort of similar to Mrs. McVittie’s digestive biscuits in Britain). Any would be good, I am sure, though. Thanks for cluing me in. There is nothing I like better then traveling the world eating local grocery store cookies!
Such a great idea!
so tasty:)
The pop stand here in Athens puts a nilla wafer inside for the crust, which might be an even simpler solution than the graham cracker crumbs! It’s pretty delicious… and they have a banana pudding pop with the same, too.
This is genius and delicious in SO MANY LEVELS :D
You could use toasted coconut instead of crumbs and then they would be gluten free!
I love this recipe.
I’ve been making almost exactly the same thing, except I don’t freeze it. I just put it in individual ramekins and store in the fridge. It’s been my dessert of choice this summer.
I got the recipe at Serious Eats last year: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/07/10-minute-lime-cracker-pie-recipe.html?ref=search
It’s good with the Ritz crackers; it’s good without them. I’ve been thinking about making pie with it using a graham cracker crust. It’s also good made with lemon. I’ve also folded blueberries and/or raspberries into the lemon version — very good.
My other favorite lime dessert might make a good (adult) popsicle: vodka (or gin) and tonic granita.
Thank goodness for popsicle week, these look sweet, tart, and delicious! This has been a great summer at Smitten Kitchen!
Amazing idea…..Love it!
When you started posting popsicles, I requested a popsicle mold as a birthday gift from my boyfriend, promising him endless popsicles in return. Key lime pie is his favorite dessert. I am making these RIGHT NOW.
They look and sound so good! I keep wanting to somehow work some rum or something into them in my mind :) Like a tropical pina colada/key lime pie on a stick. But I know it’s hard to freeze things with alcohol. Pinned!
Where can I buy good Popsicle molds?
Now… All the southern hemisphere needs is summer.
Or, since I quite like winter, cheap limes.
Pecan milk. Good lord, woman. I actually subbed pecans for almonds in your peach crisps yesterday and they were dreamy so now I’m on a pecan tear.
I think I’ll probably finally convince my boyfriend to marry me if I make these. Thanks in advance!!
Here we go again…just having our rice stuffed tomatoes with potatoes and sausage for left-over dinner tonight with almond brittle peaches for dessert – both are whole family approved. Popsicles should be ready for tomorrow’s snack. Want to find an alternative to canned milk though, I like the coconut idea but have cream to use up. The hunt begins now!
Say what?!? These look amazing and I can’t totally understand why they started a craze. I could really use some more space in my freezer…because these won’t fit!!! Give me a minute to figure out something to remove.
And by “can’t” I mean “can”. Sigh. Proof read then press “Post”.
Oooooooof, I wish I knew where Fany bought her key limes — I squeezed twenty three of them by hand to get a scant 3/4 cup of juice! (Accordingly very, very excited for these dudes to get done freezing.)
OK, so it’s still only in the low 20s and winter has a week still to run, but the lime tree is overloaded and surely that’s enough of a reason to make these? Memories of frozen key lime pie on a stick in Florida are making themselves known. I’m sure I can find _something_ that resembles graham cracker crumbs. Or maybe chocolate biscuit crumbs for that choc-lime contrast. My mouth is watering!
wait ok this is kind of crazy but we literally bought this book a week ago and this was the first recipe we made!! of course they were AMAZING, especially since we made them in the new tiny zoku pop maker (so cute!!)
I am so excited to make these!!!! I have been craving key lime pie all summer and for some reason haven’t made it. You better believe I am now!
I hate to bother you on this recipe. But I couldn’t find anywhere to ask about recipes from the book. I made the granola tonight, and only deviated from the recipe by adding a bit but of honey to the maple syrup. But the granola didnt clump :( it was delicious!! Just no clumping. Do you think maybe I could double the egg white? Or would that make it soggy?
Thanks?
Hi Mame — It’s not a problem. You can definitely double the egg white. Make sure you bake it a little longer, just to make sure the egg is dried through, and you should see more spectacular clumps.
nzle — Oh no! Were you doing so by hand or with a press or with an electric juicer? I think the latter, that I used, is extra efficient. I’ll add a note that it will take more than estimated.
I’ve seen a lot of popsicle posts this summer, but this one looks, by far, the awesomest. Why oh why don’t I have popsicle molds?
This is delicious! Being from the Keys, I’d like to mention that Ripe Key Limes are yellow, not green. The full flavor only really comes out when they’re ripe. I’m talking about the very distinct flavor of the real Key Lime. So, as a hint, sometimes you’ll see a bag of the little Mexican “Key Limes” in the grocery store. These are close, but are seldom ripe. So when they’re really dark green and hard, you’re probably better off using a larger lime that will give some juice. If you live anywhere with a Farmers Market that sells the yellow Mexican limes, grab them!
Thanks, Deb. great, fun recipe.
Yay! Popsicle week! This recipe is very similar to my key lime pie filling recipe, except that it uses sour cream instead of the heavy cream…and less of it. So tangy and tasty. I never thought to try to freeze it. Can’t wait to try these.
I generally avoid popsicles because they’re rather dull and uninspiring, but these look quite lovely. I have some blueberries laying around I might throw into these to add a little crunch.
I was so excited after seeing the link on your Twitter! Can’t wait to try this now. Lime for everyone!
:'( I can’t get limes where I am. Only lemons. I love McVities especially with bitter chocolate on one side. I pig out when I come to England and on ginger biscuits too.
Why do you call them Popsicles? We call them Lollies. I feel so silly saying that word out loud at my age.
These sound amazing! I might try substituting full fat coconut milk for the heavy cream. They could then be rolled in a combo of graham crackers & toasted coconut!
I would certainly recommend getting the newer popsicle molds made by Progressive /Norpro with the plastic lid. I have heard that they hold the sticks in place better. I had one with the metal lid & could barely get the pops out. The lid ended up bending when I took it off :(
I just love key lime pie and making into a popsicle form is genius! I love it!!
You made me get a popsicle mold for your strawberry lime popsicles (which were amazing). Keep posting these and I promise I intend to make them all!
Oh my gosh! bCant believe how big Jacob is now! I’ve been recovering from an accident in May and have not been able to read SK as religiously as I used to. He’s grown so much! Hope you all are well and that you have a safe trip.
imo, key limes are too small and annoying to use, and key lime pie has better flavor using regular limes, so i imagine these popsicles do too.i’ll definitely try these! and then maybe dip them in chocolate…
those plastic popsicle molds are the greatest. i need to dig them up for our family beach vacation this weekend, because these key lime delights need to get made! have you ever been to the blond giraffe in key west, that’s what these pops remind me of.
Looks like a perfect recipe for Key Lime pops. I’ll grab a bag of KL on my next trip to TJ. They always have it there. Thanks for sharing.
These look amazing. But because we don’t consume dairy, I will try this with young coconut meat, frozen bananas, and stevia!
Deb, I was squeezing by hand/reaming with a paring knife and a grapefruit spoon after kneading them well on the counter to loosen them up (sadly, I’m both a nut and have no counter space). The key limes were too tiny for my yellow press thing to do much — I don’t doubt that an electric juicer would have been more efficient, but look at how well I squeezed these dried-out halves! http://instagram.com/p/df5sH2r9_O/
nzle — Ugh, I’m sorry. I think it was just a bad estimate on my part. I had used them for a recipe a long time ago and did the math and 6 to 7 had been an educated-but-not-educated-enough. You did good squeezing!
Yay for popsycles… summer is still on!
I love key lime anything! Such a great idea!
Awesome. Reminds me of when I used to live in Red Hook (Brooklyn) and work right next to Steve’s Key Lime pie. They have this thing called a swingle. What is a swingle you ask? Why, a key lime pie tart dipped in chocolate and shoved on a popsicle stick, of course.
oh dear, you’ve made it so difficult! Now I dont know which popsicle to make first.
Yum! Those sound absolutely amazing, thanks for sharing!
No popsicle molds so I’m going to throw this into my ice cream maker and see what happens.
One of my favorite things growing up was popsicles … especially all the different and exciting novelties you could get when the ice cream truck went through the neighborhood. I still keep frozen treats on hand – even if it’s filling a cup with juice and sticking it in the freezer! These are a MUST TRY! Thanks!
I just made these last night and rush home to try them. AMAZING! I used key lime juice in a bottle and regular limes for zest.
The Liz Lemon-isms cracked me up….I sure do miss that wacky bunch of characters!
Popsicle week, I love it. These look so great and super simple to make. I need to give these a try!
Before you zest the lime (or lemon, for that matter), heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. This loosens the juices and makes juicing easy as…pie. Now zest it and then cut in half. If you don’t have an electric juicer, run right out and buy one… but a fork works very well to repeatedly stab the lime halves limes and loosen the juice.
Let me just say that since reading about the strawberry lime pepper popsicles and then immediately ordering the Norpro mold, my freezer has not been empty of any frozen deliciousness! The peach with tequila were delish, as were the root beer float ones. I must buy limes tomorrow so I can try this one too!
I can’t help but think about making an adult version of these ;)
nzle: To get the most juice from a lime when juicing by hand you have to cut it differently than you do a lemon. Apparently they are built differently. Cut around the ‘core’, and squeeze each of the 4 sides and then wring the juice out of the core. Hope that makes sense!
I have one of those handy electric citrus juicers when i need to juice a lot of them, but by hand the ‘core’ method gives me almost twice as much juice per lime. I also make sure they’re room temp and roll them around to loosen them up first with either method.
I already have a container of frozen Meyer lemon juice in the freezer that I think I’ll try this with. mm mm mmm.
It looks delicious dear!
Like so much this post and this recipe. LOVE IT.
have a nice day.
incoronata.
Do you have any particular way that you store popsicles in the freezer? Do you wrap them individually in cellophane, put them all together in a freezer bag, store them in the molds until you’re ready to eat them?
cz, that is FASCINATING. I’m all out of key limes now, but I will definitely try that next time!
Even though fresh juice is great – I often use the bottled when I can not get fresh – and it is tart and good. I usually use Nellie’s and Joe’s lime juice which I can find in the local markets
I currently have a batch of these chilling in my freezer. I want to unmold all of them tomorrow, but when I do, do you think I can roll them all in the graham cracker crumbs before sticking them back in the freezer? Or should I wait to crumb them when I eat them individually?
I’m slightly worried the crumbs will get soggy and/or fall off if I do them all at once, but I’d also really prefer that so I could just eat one whenever and not have to think about coating them then. Just curious what you do (if they manage to last long enough to sit around in the freezer, that is). :)
Kelsey — I didn’t find that the crumbs got soggy if you roll them all first. Because they don’t really get wet, or at least, not unless they sat on a defrosted popsicle a while.
These were incredibly delicious. Mine wouldn’t stay on the stick for some reason, so I scooped them out of the mold. Any idea as to why that would happen? Maybe I added a tad too much lime juice?
I love key lime pie, and suspect I would fall head-over-heels over these popsicles too. The crushed cookies lend the perfect texture!
For those asking about a dairy-free version… I’m going vegan right now but thought these sounded irresistible in our 90-100 degree heat wave! I found this recipe for replacing sweetened condensed milk with reduced coconut milk and honey: http://omamas.com/sweetened-condensed-coconut-milk-my-life-is-forever-changed/. I couldn’t believe that the coconut version tasted almost identical to s.c. milk, just as sweet and think, and actually a little better with nutty undertones. I used So Delicious coconut cream in place of the half and half. Turned out awesome!
How do you store your popsicles? I’ve been wrapping them in a piece of wax paper and then a big plastic bag. Do you do something marvelously fancy that would make us all jealous of your mad Martha Stewart Skills? (As if your cooking and photography weren’t amazing enough?)
To store popsicles — Here’s how I do it: I put a tray in the freezer and cover it with waxed or parchment paper, just long enough for it to get cold. I unmold all of the popsicles and place them on the tray, and refreeze them for 10 minutes out of their molds before putting them in a freezer bag. This extra step ensures that any melting/softening that happens when you unmold them doesn’t mess up their shapes or cause them to stick to one another. You can also separate them in their freezer bags by extra strips of waxed or parchment paper. Then you can wash the molds and use them again, for Popsicle 3 of 3 on Friday. :)
These totally just made my stomach growl.
Key lime pie is my dad’s favorite dessert…I should made these for Labor Day weekend. Thanks, Deb!
Oh yummo! Looooove this dessert, although I make the Nigella version with a chocolate crumb base, and I think chocolate crumbs would be amazing on these as well. And winter is nearly over here in Australia so it’s nearly popsicle time! The butterscotch pudding ones look fab too.
I made these today using the bottled key lime juice (Nellie and Joe’s) since it’s very rare to find fresh ones in my neck of the woods. I used Maria cookies since I had some on hand. I have to say that this tastes exactly like the best key lime pie ever. I will totally serve this as dessert to friends. AMAZING
Thanks to my veggie/ fruit co-op I had a surfeit of organic lemons. I made the popsicles with lemons rather than limes and rolled them in cinnamon graham cracker crumbs. My partner said they tasted just as good as her mother’s lemon icebox pie. That was high praise indeed!
The only tweaking I did was substitute lemon juice and lemon zest for the limes. I used 4 big lemons and 1 small one.
Do you have any (dairy) substitutes for the sweetened condensed milk? I live in Israel and am having trouble finding it here and am too lazy to make my own. And I’m dying to make these popsicles as we are nearing the end of the very short lime season here! Thanks!
I will be making these NOW! My lime tree is covered with fruit :D
OK…. so I just finished up slobbering all over the Caesar Salad Deviled Egg recipe…. and then I catch this. Perhaps I have some citric acid deficiency and that is the reason I am drawn to the citrus side of sin this evening…. either way, thank you for playing the part of my muse! This reminds me of this little Key Lime Store down by the pavilion in Key West. Just inside the door, there is an ice cream freezer, where on a very hot day you can pull from the smokey condensation of the open freezer door the MOST delectable Frozen Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie! Yes… that is right…. I will totally be making these….. and dipping them in chocolate before they get their graham cracker crust!
I just made these last night for a BBQ I was invited to. They were a big hit! I used regular limes and no one noticed the difference. Then I thought about using lemons or oranges — oh this could become dangerous!
Thank you so much for Popsicle Week! I just took my first batch of key lime pie popsicles out of the freezer and completely freaked out about how amazing they are. I was going to make the butterscotch ones next, but now I might have to make another round of key lime pie ones first!
These are amazing! Easy to make, and the perfect ending to a cookout. (And the toddler could not get enough: http://instagram.com/p/dsMuehJany/)
Made a batch this morning. Took a tray to the neighbors and asked them to be my ‘guinea pigs’. Everyone loved them. The 10 year old just knocked on the door and asked if I would please write down the recipe for him, so he could take to his grandma and ask her to make some more. As he left [recipe clutched in his hand] he said “Boy, I wish you could get these in the store!”. I think that qualifies as a hit all around. Thank you!
These are a snap to make and totally delicious! (Warning: My toddler found the sweetness absolutely perfect and expected her fair share of servings! Guess I’ll have to make them again to get extra!)
These are fantastic! They are begging to be reshaped and dunked into a tall glass of coke for a really good cola float (:
These are a revelation. Fantastic.
I made a batch this weekend- they were a hit with my family. I think the key limes I got weren’t quite ripe (thanks for the yellow vs. green tip above- I’ll keep that in mind next time!) and so they were slightly too tart for me. Got NO complaints from anyone else though, so this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Thank you for posting this deb! This recipe and all the ideas others have thought of have really caught my imagination.
Key Lime pie is one of my dad’s favorite desserts, and this recipe pushed me to actually purchase the Norpro mold.
Just a few minutes ago, I unmolded my popsicles and dipped them in crumbs. Now they’re in the freezer getting harder.
I think I’ll make a chocolate version next, with a crumbled pie crust crumb on top, to enhance the frozen chocolate pie illusion. Our family chocolate pie recipe is that old flour/butter/sugar/chocolate/milk one, in a baked pie crust, with meringue on top, but some years ago I updated it to double the filling and almost triple the chocolate. (improved the sliceability of the pie)
What next? Banana cream pie? Apple pie with a cheddar crust? Coconut cream, with toasted coconut on the outside? Or maybe a frozen bloody mary, or margarita?
Probably will try a frozen smoothie someday soon. Most recipes I’ve seen make way too much mixture to be very useful for one person unless it’s frozen, and popsicles seem like the logical next step.
made my first batch last night after receiving the molds I order from Target.com can’t wait to have them for dessert later :)
Do you really mean 3 cups of crushed graham crackers to coat 10 popsicles? I made these yesterday but did not make even a cup of crushed graham crackers and still had more than I needed after coating all sides. They are wonderful. My husband asked if he could have more than one – answer was yes. Nice refreshing treat.
Hi Deb, I made these for dessert for Rosh Hashanah dinner on Wednesday night. Didn’t have popsicles molds but used creme brulee dishes and sprinkled the graham cracker crumbs on top just before I served them. It was a huge hit! Thank you for sharing your fabulousness with us! Happy and healthy..
I loved these Popsicles. Even without the graham cracker crumbs (which I didn’t have on hand), they are still creamy, tart, and summery. Sweetened condensed milk is probably my favorite popsicle making ingredient. My favorite homemade popsicles are very similar to these, but instead of lime zest and juice, I mix it with blackberry puree which I have pressed through a sieve. I also made some buttermilk lemon popsicles once that were super tasty – I know you like buttermilk in desserts. i can’t remember what blog I saw the recipe on, but it was also sort of similar to this one but with lemon zest and juice and buttermilk. I think I might try the butterscotch Popsicles next….
Dear Deb – When I saw these, I had to make them. After a fruitless (pun intended) search for popsicle molds and my impatience to try these, I made the “popsicle batter” and froze in a shallow baking pan. Then I cut into the size of graham crackers and made key lime sandwiches. I don’t know if they were better or worse than your popsicle, but I can tell you…my world did stop. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Just tried for the first time, absolutely amazing. You, my dear, are a genius!
Once again, a recipe of yours has made me hungry as if on cue. Key lime pie pops are genius! Thanks for sharing, Deb.
And all of the ingredients mix up nicely in a 4cup glass measuring cup which makes getting the goods into those little molds so very easy…spouts and handles…gotta love ’em. Can’t wait till tomorrow to taste!!! Thanks for the recipe….
Gingersnaps sounds amazing!
I made this popsicles and I was going to forgo the graham crackers. I’m so glad I didn’t! They really step up the flavor of the popsicle and make you feel like you’re really having key lime pie.
My popsicle molds are smaller than yours, but I made them the other day and my husband had 3 in one evening!! They are a big hit! Thanks for the recipe.
I made these with lemons as I have a huge tree of Meyers lemon in my backyard. These came out fantastic. I cannot imagine that these can get any better with lime I don’t have words to thank Debra for this awesome recipe. I shared these popsicles with my neighbors and they could not believe how easy these were to put together.
I live in Tokushima, Japan, which is known for its tiny limes called sudachi. They are currently in season – and so very numerous!! Because of their pervasiveness, I am constantly on the lookout for new recipes. Over the weekend, I made these popsicles for a bunch of friends, and they were a huge hit! Thank you so much! One more sudachi recipe to add to my collection!
So where is the recipe and the directions???
I would love to make these for my grandson but need directions other than a couple of pictures.
With so much conversation going on and pictures I completely lost the recipe and
instructions = sorry about that.
Can’t wait for the warm weather to return to PA so I can surprise my grandson.
Yes, I am NEW HERE!!!
Thanks for being so nice about my error!!!!!!!!!!
Made these for the holiday weekend, WOW!! I’m hooked and can’t wait to try your other varieties. Thank you Deb!
We are just going gaga for these this summer. So easy and so good! Here’s how we do the crumbs:
Place 3 graham crackers (full sheets) in a freezer bag with zip-close capabilities.
Close the bag & roll over the crackers with a rolling pin (side of a straight glass would also work).
Open the bag and shake all crumbs to one side of bag.
Unmold frozen popsicles (10 seconds in lukewarm water worked great), one at a time.
As you unmold each popsicle, hold it by the stick & roll in crumbs. Pile them up on a plate as you go.
Once they are all coated, place them all, standing up on the bottom of the freezer bag, for easy stick access.
They don’t stick together, because the crumbs keep them apart.
Use the plate to serve popsicles to your kids for breakfast, because yeah.
We’re going to try the butterscotch popsicles next, if we can ever manage to resist that delicious butterscotch pudding in warm, runny pudding form. So far, we mostly just drink it! :o
These were so dang good! Made them for my ladies group on a hot August evening. Divine. Will make them again, right after I try the butterscotch, which was my dad’s favorite pie flavor.
Happy to report that I had a delicious result using simple syrup, milk, and cream (apparently sweetened condensed milk is a seasonal item at local grocery stores!).
I was worried about the milk curdling with the citrus, but all was well. (Is lime juice less acidic than lemon? I use lemon and milk to make soured milk to sub for buttermilk.)
And there was a fight to lick the bowl. What a winner, Deb!
Deb, what is a “Maria” cookie? Something like the Brit’s “digestible biscuits”?
Pat — It’s similar. You can see more about it here.
Hello, where please please can I get this small measurement jug? in Canada or UK or online preferably?
Ania — The small glass measuring cup (1-cup size) was made by Anchor Hocking, but I don’t see it online anymore. These two look close-ish.
Abby — Neither cream nor sweetened condensed curdle in my experience, so there’s probably enough of it protecting the small amount of milk that it wasn’t an issue. You wouldn’t think limes are less acidic, or I wouldn’t, but I don’t think I’ve ever had nearly the luck using them to make a faux-buttermilk.
These are amazing! Refreshing and lightly sweet, and dead simple to make.
oh man, the champagne flute idea is genius! is there any danger to freezing “real” glass ones? we have a set that came in a box of donated items which i kept because…hey, good glasses! but the likelihood of us ever using them for champagne is slim to none. so i’m not attached to them but i’d prefer not to clean glass shards out of my freezer, obviously.
Yep, these are fantastic — my favorite popsicle from this summer. I also learned eventually to turn down my freezer temp to reduce iciness in my popsicles. I did have trouble getting the crumbs to stick, but maybe it would work if they were smaller.
Have you ever tried Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice? Might work if you’re having trouble finding limes.
Holy moly, these totally rocked. Next time, I think I’ll incorporate the graham crumbs IN the popsicles. The mix is thick enough that I don’t think they would totally to the bottom.
Thanks for the great recipe! We made it for a Memorial Day grill out and it was a big hit!
Do you really mean 3 CUPS of crushed graham crackers? 3 full cracker sheets seems to be a more appropriate quantity to me. Just checking.
Since you like peaches — I made peach raspberry pops this summer. They were soooo good.
I am making these for pie day tomorrow!
These are delicious. I recently found a no-churn ice cream book with a key lime recipe. It looks similar but calls for whipped cream.
My popsicle molds are small and only hold half of the volume of the recipes you post. Can I make the full batch of liquid and store the half I don’t use in the fridge for several days until the first round of popsicles gets eaten?
I’d definitely think so.
Can I use coconut milk instead of regular milk or the half and half? I can’t do dairy!!
Deb, I make key lime pie all the time and wanted to try these popsicles. Can I use key lime juice instead of the limes? And if yes, would I still want to use the zest as well?
Thanks!
Of course. And yes, use the zest too. It’s just not that easy to get key limes in NYC, so I use what we have around.
Ok, great. I suppose once I use the zest, I might as well use the juice from a couple of them. I will add that the lime juice to the key lime juice!
So quick to make. A bit too puckery–I’ll make it again just with a touch of honey or sugar.
Wonder if you could make these with cocinut cream or milk!! Any suggestions? Milk really doesnt agree with me
Thanks Mara
Yes, I believe many people have done this and commented here. Should work fine, but make sure not to skim out the fat.
Apologies if you already covered this, but which popsicle mold(s) do you recommend?
Whoops, I’m off to Amazon for the Norpro molds! Thanks for answering this years ago!
Just made these and was short on”batter” for the 10th popsicle. Might have had something to do with my constant tasting! Swoon worthy. Just hit the “turbo freeze” button. Next up:grinding the ginger snaps. Thank you for the inspiration!
I just made these with my little brother! The batter tasted delicious, and the popsicles were just amazing. Thanks for the recipe! I made my own sweetened condensed milk with evaporated milk and sugar (LOTS of sugar) and they turned out perfect.
Making those for the second time and so wish I could eat them all myself, these are fantasic and indredibly creamy!
Tart and creamy and delicious! Cooling!
Wow! Yes, easy to make and fantastic to eat.
Made these a few days ago and they were very good. A few tweaks for the next time, though: I would use the milk + heavy cream option instead of using half and half, and I would use maybe half the amount of sweetened condensed milk than what this recipe calls for. I think the overwhelming amount of fat and sugar takes away from the wonderful tartness of the key lime juice, so I would cut back on both a little bit next time. Overall a great, easy to make pop though!
I just made these with Cook’s Illustrated’s recipe for sweetened condensed milk. Did you know you can make this pantry staple yourself? It is so easy and because my popsicle molds only hold half your recipe for these key lime pie popsicles, I only made half a can of sweetened condensed milk by halving the recipe below. No waste!
So just in case you do not have it, here goes:
To make 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk:
Whisk 1 1/2 cups dry milk powder into 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk in a saucepan until smooth. Whisk in 2/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cook over low heat whisking constantly until sugar and milk powder are dissolved about 5 minutes. Cool before using and then whisk again. Can be refrigerated up to one week. Cook’s Illustrated Nov./Dec. 1994 pg.2
I loved these and also your fudge popsicles. So much better than store bought!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
These are crazy good. Made as written, eaten embarrassingly quickly. They’re the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the texture’s glorious.
This is amazing and I’m so happy I found it. I’ve been craving some key lime goodness for years. I used to live in The Kays, but now back in the UK. I will have to savor some of these and remember the good times!
Hi!
What type pop mold do you use!!!!! My kids and I would love to know!
Thanks,
Stacey
I used these.
Lime juice and key lime juice are not the same. As a native Floridian and one who lived in the Keys for many years, standard green limes (Persian) do not have the same flavor profile as key limes. Key limes are also small and difficult to juice, so save yourself the hassle, and use bottled juice. Nellie & Joe’s is a fantastic brand, and can be found in most grocery stores, or on Amazon.
Wishing for a vegan key lime popsicle!!
Love these and adding the cookies is genius!
super simple and super duper yum!!!!
OMGOODNESS!! Key Lime 🤤 … This will be perfect for Shabbat. I have to find some nice molds though. The game is afoot!
I finally made these after planning to for far too many summers. They’re everything I hoped for and more. Thank you, Deb!
To my dismay, I found that if you swipe a bit of Biscoff crunchy cookie spread/speculoos in the mold before pouring, it makes these popsicles extremely palatable to children. And adults. Weapons-grade goodness.
I made these yesterday afternoon, and about 24 hours later I pulled them out and the sticks came out but the popsicle stayed in, almost like it wasn’t frozen solid. Any tips? The mixture is delicious and I want these to work.
This happened to me too. I also found that the bottoms of the popsicles were more creamy and much of the lime juice had gathered at the top and become more icy. As the tops seemed to hold their shape better I would suggest switching out some of the condensed milk with more liquid ingredient (either lime juice or milk/cream) to allow them to freeze properly. It was still delicious to dig out of the popsicle mold with a spoon though!
This is an excellent recipe! 5 STARS! Basically key lime pie in popsicle form- absolutely scrumptious.
These are fantastic ❤️❤️❤️
i made these the other week. i didn’t read the comments closely enough though, because i added the entire can of sweetened condensed milk, which is not a good move for me because i don’t like things too sweet. i tried to balance it out with the juice of another lime, which didn’t really help but it was all i had left. anyway, they’re very tasty, but next time i’ll definitely add less SCM and check myself before i wreck myself, ya know? thank you for the recipe, deb!
Made this, and they were fantastic. Not surprising since it’s basically my MIL’s key lime pie in popsicle form.
I love these! This time when I made them, I wondered how you think this would do in an ice cream maker. Any thoughts?
I doubled the recipe & made for our Memorial Day cookout. The popsicles were a HUGE hit!! I was unable find Key Lime Rum in my area, so I added Tito’s Vodka to a batch. Awesome!! I used clear plastic cordial glasses I found at Dollar Tree as the mold & stuck in old fashioned popsicle stick. Another fantastic recipe from The Smitten Kitchen……….Thanks Deb!!
Has anyone made this with coconut milk instead? Or some other non dairy alternative?
Here are a few suggestions from the comments:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/08/key-lime-pie-popsicles/#comment-1424393
https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/08/key-lime-pie-popsicles/#comment-1429286
https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/08/key-lime-pie-popsicles/#comment-788604
I made these as written with sweetened coconut condensed milk and bonsoy soy milk. It was very tasty but did not freeze properly as I suspect the coconut condensed milk was too thick – If you’re doing this I would switch some of it out with more milk or lime juice
You can also make a coconut version of condensed milk at home by cooking three parts coconut milk to one part sugar over low heat until thickened
these might be the most delicious thing I’ve eaten all year. they’re so tart and so sweet and the texture is so good! i will be making these all summer for sure!!!
I’ve made these as-written (excellent, no subs required), and now, I find myself pregnant and unable to eat *anything* unless it is sour. In my quest to add more protein into my limited diet, I subbed in Plain whole fat greek yogurt for the cream, and I can confirm that it is excellent. I used about 1.5c because I wanted this to be a little less sweet than as written. I froze in a single container so I can enjoy a little scoop or two whenever the craving for lime strikes.