I previously published a recipe for frozen lime pie using an egg custard as the base; this one has a different twist.

I met a friend at a local market, who told me about a recipe he’d heard of involving avocado, lemon and lime juice, cream cheese, and sweetened condensed milk in a graham cracker crust, topped with whipped cream and slivered almonds. Zounds! Sounded outrageous just listening to the ingredients!

I contemplated the list for a while, then decided to make my own version with some variations. The result is unbelievably delicious, not too sweet, and very refreshing.

I tested this three ways: unbaked, baked, and frozen. The frozen version is by far my favorite; what’s yours?

Note: This recipe makes enough filling for 1 9” pie plus 6 minis made in muffin tins. It would probably fill two 9” pies, though I did not test that.

Avocado and Lime Pie

3 limes
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and slightly mashed
8 oz. softened Chevre (or cream cheese)
½ cup vanilla yogurt
2 Tbsp. Agave syrup
1 package Carr’s whole wheat biscuits
1 stick butter

For the crust:

1) Put the whole wheat biscuits (crackers) into a plastic zip-loc bag, seal the bag, and crush the crackers fine using a rolling pin or a bottle.

2) Put the cracker crumbs in a bowl. Melt the butter and add it to the crumbs. Mix with a wooden spoon until the crumbs are evenly moist.

3) Divide the crumb mixture between 2 pie pans, or use 1 pie pan and 6 muffin cups, lined with paper liners. Using the spoon, press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom and sides of the pan. The mixture does not have to go all the way up the sides.

4) Bake at 350º F for about 10 minutes, taking care not to burn the crumbs. When done, set on a rack to cool while you make the filling.

For the filling:

1) Using a grater or a zester, remove the zest (only the green part of the skin) from 2 of the limes. Set aside. ( Zest should be finely chopped.)

2) Squeeze all three limes, then set the juice aside.

3) Put the mashed avocado, softened Chevre, and yogurt into a bowl. Using a hand mixer at low speed, blend until smooth and creamy. You can also use a blender, instead. Add more cheese as needed; the mixture should be like thickly beaten cream, not too stiff.

4) Add the lime juice and zest, blending these in. Then add Agave syrup to taste. You should be able to taste the lime; sweeten just enough so the mixture is not too sour.

5) Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shells. Cover with waxed paper topped with foil, and freeze until solid. To serve, let stand at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes. Perfect as is, or top with fresh raspberries, if desired. Awesome!

Note: Feel free to try the pie without freezing it, or to bake it at 350º for about 20 minutes. If you bake it, the cheese will get a bit runny, though it will firm up again when the pie cools. It’s easier to experiment with the mini pies.