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Lime Posset With Graham Cracker Streusel

by:
May 21, 2018
4.4
30 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Prep time 3 hours
  • Cook time 35 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Posset is an old-timey English recipe due for a comeback. Consider it the easiest pudding ever. You boil cream and sugar, add citrus juice, then chill. That's it. This version was based on the Lemon Posset by Food52er mrslarkin. If you layer the streusel on the bottom and top, as I do, you'll want to eat the puddings within a day. If you only serve it on top, it'll be good in the fridge for several days. —Emma Laperruque

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: A 5-Ingredient Pudding With All the Charm of Key Lime Pie —The Editors

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Lime Posset With Graham Cracker Streusel
Ingredients
  • Graham cracker streusel
  • 7 graham crackers (108 grams)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, cold
  • Lime posset
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest, plus more for garnish
  • 5 tablespoons just-squeezed lime juice
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
Directions
  1. Make the streusel. Break up the graham crackers with your hands and add to a food processor. Pulse until flour-like. Add the sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Evenly distribute the butter on top. Pulse until a cookie-like dough forms. Dump onto a plate and use your fingers to create lots of clumps. Freeze until completely firm.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with a silicone mat or parchment. When the streusel is mostly frozen, add it to the prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until firm, rotating halfway through. Cool completely before making the posset.
  3. Make the posset. Combine the heavy cream, sugar, and lime zest in a large pot. Like, much larger than you think you need—the cream loves to boil over. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to keep boiling for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the lime juice and salt. Let cool for about 15 or so minutes.
  4. Add a layer of graham cracker streusel to the bottom of 4 ramekins or glasses or other single-serving dishes. Slowly pour the posset on top, evenly dividing between the dishes. Chill until cold and set.
  5. Garnish with lime zest and serve with the rest of the streusel to sprinkle on top.
Tags:
This Recipe is Featured In:

A 5-Ingredient Pudding With All the Charm of Key Lime Pie

See what other Food52ers are saying.
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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84 Reviews

Write a Review
Anne M. May 25, 2023
Emma, i have made this 3 times now and the first time everything worked out perfectly. But the next two times parts of the streusel floated into the custard. It still tasted great and got rave reviews. On the third attempt I tried packing down the streusel but still had floaters. Any advice? I am planning on making this this weekend for a Memorial Day bash. Thanks.
cindy July 13, 2020
wondering if you could sub gingersnaps for the graham crackers? I would imagine you would cut down the sugar?
Emma L. July 13, 2020
Yes, you can swap in gingersnaps! But I wouldn't drop the sugar by more than a teaspoon or two.
cindy July 17, 2020
This was unbelievable. I did sub gingersnaps for the graham crackers and cut down on the sugar abit. It was unbelievable. Definitely a keeper for special nights!!!
Thank you Nancy and Emma for answering my questions. I did end up doubling the recipe and set it up overnight. Worked like a charm.
cindy July 17, 2020
And yes, I packaged the crumble separately as a topping only.
Ann May 26, 2020
This is unbelievably good with minimal effort. I’m sure the streusel is delicious, but I’m not a huge graham cracker fan—and then there is the small matter of what to do with the rest of the box—so I simply make the posset itself. Absolute perfection.
livtocook December 21, 2019
I have made this several times! It’s amazing! I’m planning to use the posset and streusel to make a trifle for Christmas. I’ve made a blackberry sauce for layering as well. Question? I’m not planning to assemble the trifle until Christmas Day. Do you think I can make the posset and streusel a few days in advance?
lemons December 21, 2019
I am sure the streusel will hold in an airtight container. But since the posset needs to set, or gel, I think I'd wait until that day to make it. Not sure what the effect of spooning it out of the container in which it waited into the trifle bowl would be - nor how long this will hold. I've done overnight quite happily, but that was a little over 24 hours. Not sure about how the chemistry would work after a longer time.
livtocook December 21, 2019
I read through the replies below. I decided to make the posset in advance and keep in the refrigerator for 2 days. I also decided to prep and freeze the streusel today. I’ll bake it the day before Christmas. Planning to make a light vanilla sponge cake to layer as well and then top with a layer of whipped cream.
livtocook December 21, 2019
Thank you!
Nicole K. July 8, 2019
Tried this recipe just a couple of nights ago. It's delicious! Completely guilty about the basic but high-calorie ingredients, but it was worth it!

We don't have graham crackers where we live, so I substituted that with digestive cookies and followed the recipe as is. The sugar-to-lime balance is perfect. No tweaking necessary.

The magic happened when the lime juice was added to the mix. All of a sudden, the texture became super creamy and custardy. This is one edible science experiment that I'll definitely repeat again.
carswell June 21, 2019
I made this the other night and it is fantastic. The result is soooo much more than the sum of its parts and so simple to make too.

I didn’t do the graham cracker thing but used a bunch of amaretti crumbs I had left over from making a cheesecake for a gluten free friend. The added crunch is nice but the rich creamy texture of the pudding (for lack of a better word) is lovely on its own.
Emma L. June 21, 2019
So happy to hear that!
Brie June 16, 2019
Outstanding! Made exactly per the recipe. A major hit on Father's Day!
Emma L. June 17, 2019
Yay so glad you enjoyed!
lemons June 16, 2019
I have made the lemon version very successfully using Splenda, since a friend of mine is diabetic and avoids any sugar at all. Read the packets and figure out how much Splenda is needed, since some varieties are more condensed than others, of course.
arfinannie June 27, 2019
Thank you for the tip! Looking forward to trying it!
Ceren May 26, 2019
Made this dessert for friends who were over for dinner and it was a hit.

I am in Australia and we don’t have Graham biscuits so I used Arnott’s Grande. It did the trick perfectly.

I didn’t understand the idea behind freezing then baking - do let me know Emma I am curious! I did freeze and bake however but once baked the biscuits all spread out flat. But as it cooled down I separated/it kind of crumbled so it worked out just fine at the end.

Used regular limes, lactose free cream.

Next time I will try taking out the sugar from the biscuit base as it was just a bit too sweet.

Amazing dessert and I would definitely make it again. Also will try with other citrus!
Thanks Emma
Emma L. May 28, 2019
Hi Ceren! So glad to hear that substituting another biscuit worked well. I found that freezing the mixture before baking yielded a better texture (and this was the general method I was taught with all streusel-y recipes).
Ceren May 28, 2019
Thanks for the explanation Emma. The texture turned out great at the end so I will keep freezing first then baking!
Re: substituting the biscuits. I googled Graham biscuits in Australia and got recommended the Arnott’s Grande or Marie biscuits as a substitute- worked a treat! 😊
Debra D. May 5, 2019
Just wanted to see if this would work with almond or cashew milk or coconut milk. Have a dairy allergy.
Emma L. May 5, 2019
Hi Debra! This recipe hinges on the way acid reacts with dairy, reworking the protein structure, sort of similar to ricotta. I haven't tried it with a non-dairy option myself, but I unfortunately don't think it would work with those substitutes.
Nikki May 5, 2019
If this is made with lemons instead of limes, do the measurements remain the same?
Emma L. May 5, 2019
Hi Nikki—yes!
carswell June 24, 2019
It works with orange juice as well. Delicious.
Emma L. June 24, 2019
Yum!
Anne M. February 4, 2019
OMG. This was easy and DELICIOUS! Made as a Super Bowl dessert. Would be a great dessert after a holiday meal when people are full.
Emma L. February 4, 2019
Thanks, Anne!
Dina L. January 18, 2019
I made this with Persian limes... I live in bush Alaska so we take what we can get 😂 it came out perfect.
Heidi January 12, 2019
"Like, much larger than you think you need..." Like this is great advice, I like always choose too small of a pot and like it always boils over. Like, OMG!
Marsha L. January 2, 2019
So simple and so delicious, with or without streusel. I used key limes for the juice; regular limes for the peel. I accidentally put in 6 tablespoons of lime juice and it turned out fine. Because our guests are gluten free, I made the streusel with gluten free graham crackers. The streusel did not bake up hard or clumpy -- it spread flat on the silicon mat. I simply baked it longer to try to dry it out more (perhaps 40 minutes), let it cool and then crumbled it. I didn't put any of this crumble in the bottom of the serving dishes as I was concerned that it might go mushy. Instead, I sprinkled it generously on top before serving. It provided the same flavor and a little bit of crunch that the regular graham cracker streusel would have done. I served it with Dorie Greenspan's 3-ingredient Almond Crackle Cookies, also found on this website. I thought it was a great dessert event!
Ceren May 26, 2019
Hi Marsha, I was worried about the base going mushy as well but it did not.
The base was cool, and so was the pudding when I poured it over - just as the recipe said and it was still crunchy when we ate several hours later.
rmanna December 19, 2018
Hi, do you think I could substitute this for lime curd in a coconut layer cake? Would itremain firm? thanks, Robin
Emma L. December 19, 2018
Hi Robin—that's a fun idea! But since I haven't tried it myself, I can't say for sure whether it would work. Your best bet would be creating a retaining wall with icing, to help keep the curd/posset secure (more on that here: https://food52.com/blog/22107-how-to-fill-layer-cakes-with-jam-and-jelly). If you decide to give it a try, please let me know how it goes.
BakerMary September 15, 2019
Think you would better off using curd, it’s thicker.
Amanda T. August 14, 2018
We thought this was absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Emma L. August 14, 2018
So glad to hear that—thanks, Amanda!
placidplaid July 29, 2018
I think the sugar should be cut in half. It's way too sweet! I will try it again that way although I wonder if the amount of sugar is crucial to it being able to set properly.
Emma L. July 29, 2018
Hi, thanks for your feedback! The sugar does play a crucial role in how the posset sets up. When America's Test Kitchen explored possets, they wrote: "The less sugar in the mix, the thinner and looser the dessert was. That’s because dissolved sugar binds water molecules, increasing viscosity, and therefore gives the gel structure as well as a velvety mouthfeel." So if you'd like to reduce the sugar, dropping to 1/2 cup would probably be a safer place to start. Hope this helps!
Ceren May 26, 2019
Thanks for that Emma, how about cutting the sugar down with the biscuit base? The biscuits already have sugar. Would taking out sugar from the biscuit base work? I
Thought it was the base that was too sweet
Emma L. May 28, 2019
Hi Ceren! You could try lowering the sugar in the crumble, but I wouldn't cut it out completely, since it helps the the crumbs hold together.
Ceren May 28, 2019
Got it, thanks!
Michele July 19, 2018
Amazing! Super easy to make and delicious.
Thanks.
Emma L. July 20, 2018
Yay! Thanks, Michele.
Nancy H. July 11, 2018
question re substituting lemon for lime - ? use the same measures ? or would I need more fresh lemon juice than lime juice? Have seen other comments that you can substitute, but thought i would double check before starting! thank you!
Emma L. July 11, 2018
Hi Nancy! Yes, you can definitely substitute in lemon juice. Use the same measurement—5 tablespoons.
Nancy H. July 11, 2018
Thanks so much!!