Frozen Lime Margarita Pie {Pass the Cook Book Club}

Last month I joined a club called Pass the Cook Book Club, created and hosted by Kita of Pass the Sushi. Each month, she selects three recipes from a cook book that club members test out and we all reveal our recipes on the same day either by posting on our blogs or on the Facebook group page.

The cookbook for May was Slushed!: More Than 150 Frozen, Boozy Treats For the Coolest Happy Hour Ever by Jessie Cross of The Hungry Mouse. A perfect selection for the warming weather and I was immediately drawn to the Frozen Key Lime Margarita Pie and knew I had to try it. However, I couldn't find key limes at my grocery store....tiny suckers are hard to find on short notice so I had to use regular limes.

This pie is very easy to whip up and the hardest part was waiting for it to chill overnight. All you have to do is beat together the filling ingredients and add to the prepared graham cracker crust. Smooth the top and freeze overnight. The next evening, I set it out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving it to some girlfriends who were over to watch the season finale of Grey's Anatomy (Yes, I am one of those people who have viewing parties, don't judge!).

The pie is very creamy, just like a cheesecake yet refreshing as a margarita. You could barely taste the hint of tequila so I'm sure you wouldn't miss it if you wanted to leave it out. It wasn't until the pie was almost gone that I realized I left out the whipped cream :o

On another note guys, I took these pictures with a big girl camera, the Canon Rebel T3, that my friend Amanda brought over for me to play with. Currently I use a two year old Sony Cyber Shot to take all the photos you see on the blog and I am hoping I can upgrade to a DSLR someday (hint hint Santa!). I've been thinking the Canon Rebel T3i would be a good first camera so it was great to play around a little bit with it. All I can say is WOW!! I want it! Of course the photos above don't represent what the camera can do since we were rushed/ had shaky hands/ poor lighting / yummy pie & Grey's anatomy finale awaited. Thanks Amanda for the test drive :)

Frozen Lime Margarita Pie
Adapted from Slushed! (pg 134)

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lime juice (preferably key lime)
Zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons tequila (optional)
Whipped cream for garnish

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the crust ingredients and stir until finely combined. Press the crumbs into a pie plate (I used a 9 inch pie plate) to form a crust.

Put the dish in the freezer and chill while making the filling.

Warm up cream cheese in microwave for a minute or two. This will make it easier to stir.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed for a few minutes, 2-3 minutes.

Add the sugar, lime juice, zest and tequila and beat on low until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.

Transfer mixture to the prepared crust. Smooth surface and freeze overnight.

To serve, let sit at room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes. Slice with a sharp knife and garnish with whipping cream.

Check out what the others made.