Lemon Ice Box Pie

Lemon Ice Box Pie is a classic southern dessert that is really easy to make. If you want to make it even easier, you can replace the meringue with cool whip and buy the crust instead of making it.

Ingredients:
1/2 box of vanilla wafers
1 stick of butter, unsalted
1 tspn salt
juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed
1 can condensed milk
1 egg yolk
6 egg whites
1/2 tspn vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar

Preparation:

1. Grease a pie plate.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
3. Grind up vanilla wafers in a food processor or blender until a fine powder.
4. Melt butter and add 1 tspn of salt to the butter.
5. Pour the crushed wafers and butter into the pie plate and shape into a pie shell with your fingers.
6. In a large bowl, mix condensed milk, lemon juice, and 1 egg yolk. (Retain lemon rinds for later).
   
7. Pour mixture into the pie crust.
8. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the sugar and vanilla extract until white peaks appear.
9. Pour over pie and garnish with zest of lemon (from saved lemon rinds).
10. Circle edge of pie with whole vanilla wafers.
    
11. Bake the Lemon Ice Box Pie in the oven long enough for meringue to brown, about 20 minutes.
12. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until cold, about an hour.
    

United States Georgia