Zest the limes. Try to get as little of the white as possible, this is more bitter and doesn’t have the flavor compounds found in the green. Some is fine, just don’t get too much.
Once you have enough lime zest, juice the limes. Cut them in half, the cut side should face DOWN when juiced. The juicers are shaped like half spheres and it looks like the skin should go down, but the cut side should face down (toward the holes in the bottom of the juicer).
Measure out the sour cream. It won’t sit level so as long as you are up to the 1/2 cup line it’s okay, a little more to make sure you’re up enough is okay.
Instructions
Add the sweetened condensed milk to the stand mixer.
Starting on 2, mix in the sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest. You can go up a little faster if needed to mix it well.
Once it is mixed thoroughly, pour it into the pie crust.
Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. As long as there are no peaks sticking up, it should be fine.
Bake for 8 minutes. Keep adding time in 3 minute intervals as needed.
It is done baking when tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface, usually near the edge. This will probably take 15-20 minutes total, but you need to check every 3 minutes to make sure it doesn’t start to brown.
Refrigerate overnight.
Notes
The sour cream makes the pie filling smell not so delicious before baking, but it doesn’t come through in the end at all.
Lime sizes can vary a lot, so it’s hard to say exactly how many you’ll need. I’ve need anywhere from 7 to 12. Get the darkest limes you can for the best flavor.
Variations:
Add 1/2-1 cup frozen cherries to make it a cherry lime pie
Substitute lemons for limes for a lemon pie
Add 1/2-1 cup frozen blueberries to make it a blueberry lemon pie
Substitute oranges for limes for an orange pie (this requires citric acid because oranges aren’t acidic enough on their own to keep the sweetened condensed milk thick, but I still need to test how much)
Add 1/2-1 cup cranberries to make it a cranberry orange pie