Traditional ice box pies—so named because they set up in the ice box or refrigerator—are fun but so is having your own and not having to share. This tastes like the best lemon pie but with a spicy, ginger twist thanks to the homemade lemon-ginger cookie crumbs.
If you need more than six servings, make the recipe twice, don’t double it for best results. There should be enough lemon-ginger cookies in one batch to make enough crumbs for both. You can even make this 1-2 days ahead of time, just add the top crumb layer at the last minute. If you really want to gild the lily, serve it with whipped cream.
Individual Lemon Ice Box “Pies”
Adapted and updated from Mrs. Harry C. Michael's Lemon Ice Box Pie appearing in The Women's Auxiliary of the Rosewood State Training School. Maryland's Famous Receipts. Owings Mills, MD. 1952
Ingredients
Crumb layer:
- 1 cup lemon-ginger cookie crumbs see recipe below or crushed gingersnaps
For the “filling”:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 egg yolks
- ¾ cup lemon juice 2-3 small lemons’ worth
- pinch salt
- zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Sprinkle 3/4 of the crumbs in the bottom of 6 6-oz jars or ramekins. I re-used glass and clay jars from fancy yogurt. Set aside the remaining crumbs and the jars.
- Whisk together all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Whisk again until smooth.
- Scrape into a medium saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it thickens enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon. This takes about 10 minutes, when it is thick enough, you should start to see some slow, fat bubbles making their way to the top when you stop whisking.
- Whisk the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl. Evenly divide the mixture between the jars. Allow to cool slightly.
- Refrigerate at least 3 hrs. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs and serve.
Notes
If you need more than six servings, make the recipe twice, don’t double it for best results. There should be enough lemon-ginger cookies in one batch to make enough crumbs for both. You can even make this 1-2 days ahead of time, just add the top crumb layer at the last minute. If you really want to gild the lily, serve with whipped cream.
Lemon-Ginger Cookies
Eat these lemony spice cookies as-is or process into crumbs using a high speed mixer, a food processor or smash them with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup butter
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons golden syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest of two lemons
- demerara sugar raw cane sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with a silipat or parchment paper. Sprinkle a plate with demerara sugar and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, lemon juice, zest and golden syrup and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder and salt. Slowly add it to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix to thoroughly combine.
- With slightly buttered hands, roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll the balls in the demerara sugar.
- Place cookies 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
- Bake 8-12 minutes or until set and the bottoms are golden. Cool on wire rack.
A version of this post appeared in Aspics, Chicken Salad, and Ice Cold Celery: Finding Community through Maryland Recipes