Lemon Crunch Pie

So this one time, I was at the grocery store with my husband and he tried to buy a gross, pre-made pie in a box from the bakery section. I was like, “DUDE, I BAKE.” and he was all “But can you make a LEMON CRUNCH PIE?” and I was all “You’ve heard of GOOGLE right?” But then I was like “Oh no, none of these recipes on the internet look like the pie from the store! I’ll have to make it up as I go!” and he was like “Oh geez, that sounds hard. Do you think you can really do it? and I was all “Watch me, bitches.”

So I invented a Lemon Crunch Pie. The end.

Lemon Crunch Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 tablespoons ice cold water

Throw the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Toss in the shortening too and then mash it up with a fork until it’s in little pieces. Don’t mix it TOO well, since the little pieces of shortening in the crust is what makes it flaky. Add cold water about a tablespoon at a time until the dough is sticky enough to hold together. Do most of your mixing with the fork but make sure you test it by squishing it together with your hands or you’ll end up adding too much water. Roll it out, press into a 9 inch pie plate and crimp the edges.

Bake the crust at 400 for 7 minutes.

(If you MUST, I will allow for store bought pie dough but only if you recite the Pledge of Allegiance while rolling it out to prove you’re not a communist.)

Filling:

Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1 1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 well-beaten egg yolks
1 1/4 c. boiling water
3 egg whites

Separate egg yolks from whites. Zest and juice the lemons. Pour 1 ¼ cup water into a medium sized sauce pan. When it comes to a boil, mix in juice, sugar, cornstarch, and well-beaten egg yolks. Stir until well blended and cook until thick – this happens pretty quickly so be sure to keep stirring. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Fold the lemon mixture into the whites.

Pour into baked crust.

Topping:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 crushed graham crackers
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons chilled butter

Toss it all in a food processor and mix for a few seconds, until it’s crumbly but not too fine. Spread out over filling, bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, or until topping is slightly brown & all the butter has melted.

Refrigerate for a couple hours and serve cold.

Not the prettiest pie I’ve ever made, but really really delicious.

I linked up my recipe to Mique’s Pity Party at 30 Handmade Days

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12 Responses to “Lemon Crunch Pie”

  1. holy crap you are amazing. i am so impressed right now.
    ps: totally get a bob off craigslist… you will LOVE it.

  2. Amanda says:

    Oh my that looks delicious! Sadly I have a no citrus husband. =(

  3. sarrible says:

    That sounds so summery and fantastic!

  4. Kimberly says:

    I loooooooove lemon stuff. Hubby doesn’t, but that just means I can eat it all by myself!

  5. […] 10 minutes before you decide you’re too hungry to wait. Grill chicken and veggies. Eat. 10. Lemon Crunch Pie – Yeah, I invented that. Recipe is here on the blog & also on Tasty […]

  6. Ashby says:

    I stumbled upon your blog via Pinterest and I just have to say – based on this pie, and your adorable writing, I would like to be best friends. That is all.

  7. […] Uli Westphal: Fruit Au Naturale (via (a)Musing Foodie) Lemon Crunch Pie (via Bebehblog) Pop Stars Amazing user submitted photos of Cake Pops. The Yo Gabba Gabba ones are a […]

  8. Marc says:

    LOL So get this shit. I’m looking at the weekly ad for Greer’s Food Tiger grocery store. They have an ad for a Mrs. Smith’s lemon Crunch pie. I’ve never heard of Mrs. Smith’s Lemon Crunch Pie, so I try to look it up on line. NO Mrs. Smith’s Lemon Crunch Pie. So then I search for Lemon Crunch pie and I find your site. I read your story, then I scroll down to read the recipe and look at the pictures. Imagine my surprise when I see a picture of a slice of Lemon Crunch Pie I had just seen online in the grocery ad. LOL They stole your picture for the ad.

  9. Pete says:

    I love lemon crunch pie, but it is impossibly hard to find in stores. For the first time ever, I decided to make a pie – this one using your recipe. I did everything as you said except I somehow forgot to put in cornstarch and the filling was a runny mess. But the best part was that it ended up setting up ok (not great) in the refrigerator overnight and tasted just like the lemon crunch pie I love so well. I will remember to use cornstarch next time and I’m sure it will be awesome. Thank you so much for the recipe.

    My one question is – how fine is the lemon zest suppose to be? I used a zester on the lemon and crudely diced it with a knife. Is it suppose to be very fine or somewhat coarse? Thanks again.

    • bebehblog says:

      Hi Pete! I’m glad you liked my recipe! I think I zested the lemon with a grater, sometimes called a microplaner, but you could do it your way too. I usually use a zester for my lemons and just leave the pieces. It’s really a personal preference and shouldn’t affect the taste much.

  10. marietta says:

    tryed it its delicious

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