Recipes are written to be followed. They are designed to take the guesswork out of whatever it is you want to make. In baking, following a recipe is very important. Baking is a science some say, and if you add or leave out ingredients in a tried and true recipe you will alter the results….which is not always a bad thing!

I am sharing three recipes for Lemon Icebox Pie. They are the recipes from my Maw Maw (my great grandmother), Ivy (my grandmother) and my Aunt Mollie (my grandmother’s sister).

Maw Maw - My great-grandmother. Mollie Ann Crawford

Maw Maw’s recipe

Ingredients

3 or 4 lemons (1/2 juice)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 graham cracker crust

Instructions:

In a bowl, squeeze lemons to make juice- catch and remove the seeds. Add in 1 can sweetened condensed milk. Stir until well combined.  Pour lemon/mixture in pie crust or into cups to eat without crust.

Refrigerate until well chilled and thickened.      

Miss Ivy - My grandmother - Ivy Lee Crawford

Ivy’s recipe

(Grandmother)

Ingredients

1 can (6oz) frozen lemonade concentrate

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 container (12 ounces) thawed whipped topping

1 graham cracker crust (you can also use 12 mini crusts)

Instructions:

This mixture is thick so you will want to use an electric mixer.

In a medium size bowl, add condensed milk and frozen lemonade. Mix until combined. Fold in the whipped topping. Pour mixture into pie crust and put in refrigerator overnight or freeze for 30 minutes before serving.  

Aunt Mollie - My great-aunt - Mollie Mae Crawford

Aunt Mollie’s Lemon Pie

(Great Aunt)

Ingredients

1 (8 inch) or crumb crust pre-baked pie shell

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

Instructions:

In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice and zest; blend in egg yolks. Pour into cooled crust.

Preheat oven to 325 °F.

Meringue:

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

The basic recipe began with my Maw Maw. She used what she had and made a good pie. Ivy added ingredients, changing it slightly and she made a good pie. Aunt Mollie added more ingredients, changing the original even more and she too made a good pie. Just like the ladies who made them, each pie has the same basic ingredients and are similar in many ways, but very different in others.