Blake Lively’s Key Lime Pie is the Sweetest Summer Send-Off

Blake Lively wears so many fabulous hats—literally and figuratively. The iconic blonde who rose to fame on the hit CW show Gossip Girl is now a movie star, wife and Lady Deadpool to Ryan Reynolds, founder of drink company Betty Buzz and haircare line Blake Brown Beauty, best friend to Taylor Swift and mother of four.

And now we can add one more to the list: a glam baker. In a recent Vogue video, Blake makes her famous key lime pie while wearing an evening gown, and throws back a few cocktails along the way. I was intrigued by both Blake's baking style and the recipe, so I watched (and re-watched) her self-described "chaotic" video, ran to the store for all the ingredients and got cooking.

Get the recipe: Blake Lively's Key Lime Pie

Ingredients for Blake Lively’s Key Lime Pie

Blake didn’t give specific measurements for, well, anything in this pie, so I was really winging it. After watching the video many times, I finally landed on ingredient measurements that worked for me.

For this pie, I used the zest and juice of four limes (plus one lime cut into thin rounds for garnish), the zest and juice of one lemon, 12 ounces of sour cream, 2 cups of heavy cream, one container of Cool Whip, one can of sweetened condensed milk, 3 tablespoons of Grand Marnier and 1 packet of Jello vanilla pudding mix.

Related: 85 Amazing Pie Recipes

For the homemade crust, grab 4 ounces of macadamia nuts, one egg, 6 tablespoons melted butter, 12 full sheets of graham crackers and some salt.

Related: The Super Smart Store-Bought Pie Crust Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner

How to Make Blake Lively’s Key Lime Pie

Start by making the crust: In a food processor, grind the graham crackers until they’re crumbs; pour them into a bowl. Next, pulse the macadamia nuts in the food processor until they're finely chopped (keep an eye on them so you don't end up with macadamia nut butter). Add the chopped nuts to the bowl with the graham cracker crumbs.

Add the 6 tablespoons of melted butter and mix until the crust ingredients are thoroughly combined. Stir in the egg and two pinches of salt. Spread the pie crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Bake at 350° until golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Let the crust cool completely, then transfer it to the freezer while you make the filling.

To make the filling, in a stand mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the can of sweetened condensed milk. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, mix the pudding mix and sour cream until fully incorporated. Add in the Cool Whip, the zest and juice of your lemon and limes and mix well. Stir in the Grand Marnier. Divide this mixture in half. To one bowl, add in about a cup of the whipped cream mixture. You now have three bowls of filling, each with differing levels of sweetness for building your pie.

Remove your crust from the freezer and start building the pie. Start with the sour cream mixture, which should be the most tart of the three. Spoon it into the crust and spread it out evenly. Next, add the sour cream mixture that you added the whipped cream to, which should be slightly less tart. Spoon it in and spread it out evenly.

At this point, you should have just half of the whipped cream mixture remaining. Spoon that on top, spread it out evenly and make some decorative swirls with your knife (if you want to). Garnish with the lime slices and some lime zest. Blake uses fancy twisted lime slices and a piece of lime cut into a heart shape for a cute presentation, so I did too. Freeze for at least four hours or preferably overnight. Serve cold.

Related: Blake Lively's Famous Mac and Cheese Recipe Starts with a Box

What I Thought of Blake Lively’s Key Lime Pie

This frozen pie had so many ingredients and so many steps to it, but I’d say it was well worth the effort. This is one pie that will absolutely wow your family and friends at that Labor Day picnic, I guarantee it.

It was the perfect combination of sweet, tart and salty, which is exactly what you want to eat at this point in the summer. I wasn't sure it would be worth making my own graham cracker crust, but I loved the flavor and texture the macadamia nuts added. And I was pleasantly surprised that one slice was hefty without being heavy.

Related: 10 Healthiest Nuts, According to Registered Dietitians

Tips for Making Blake Lively’s Key Lime Pie

1. Take out of the freezer well before serving. I tried this pie about four hours after freezing it and then again the next day. The pie that had been frozen overnight definitely needed a bit of time to thaw before it was enjoyable to eat.

2. Spread the crust as thinly as you can. I had a pretty deep pie plate, but it still made a bit more crust than I needed. If you prefer a thick crust, by all means, use all of the mixture. You can also save some for a single-serve pie later in the week or bake it in the oven and crumble it over ice cream.

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