Quick Little Chocolate & Key Lime Pies

Yesterday was 4th July and celebrations were held across the USA for Independence Day. So in keeping with this, we had an fabulous American dinner (which I'll be posting later). This was the dessert that we had.

Key Lime pie is an American dessert and the 'key' part is named after the limes from Florida Keys. I didn't have those particular ones - but I did have a bowl of limes. This recipe uses just a few ingredients and I had all of them, so I made a last minute decision as dinner was cooking and thought I'd surprise The Bloke by whipping up little individual versions. Ideally you need a couple of little chefs rings - I used 3 x 1.5 inch ones.

Ingredients:     (Serves 2)

6-7 chocolate chip cookies
20g butter
150ml double cream
200ml condensed milk
juice of 3 limes and zest of 1
milk chocolate for grating

Method:

Put the chefs rings onto a small wooden chopping board. Put the cookies into a small freezer bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin or bottom of a saucepan. Melt the butter in the microwave (or in a pan) and add to the biscuits; mix well. Spoon the biscuit mix into the bottom of the two rings and press down with the back of a spoon. Pop in the fridge for a minute while you make the topping.

Put the cream, condensed milk, lime zest and juice into a bowl and whisk together using an electric or hand whisk. it will thicken up quickly. Share the mixture into the two rings until full and tidy the tops by sliding a knife across. Pop in the fridge for about 2 hours. Its worth the wait!

When just about to serve, grate some milk chocolate over the top of the key lime pies and use a spatula to loosen the bottom from the board. Use a sharp knife to work around the edges of the rind and the put onto a small serving dish. Then remove the metal ring. Grate chocolate over the top (I put some chocolate into the freezer for a little while to make the grating easier). Serve and enjoy!