Dad's Favorite Lemon Icebox Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. Crush 28 wafer cookies with a food processor or by hand. Pat crushed cookies and melted margarine into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Stand remaining whole wafer cookies around the edge of the pan.

3. Zest 1 tablespoon from lemons and set aside. Squeeze 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice. Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Mix well and pour into the prepared crust.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, but leave the oven on.

5. Beat egg whites in a glass bowl on high speed, while slowly adding sugar, until almost stiff and peaks form. Arrange meringue on the pie with a spatula, spreading up to where it's touching the standing wafer cookies.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 15 minutes, checking frequently. Let cool completely, 20 to 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Cook's Notes:

Cut time by using a store-bought vanilla wafer or graham cracker pie crust.

Can use limes rather than lemons.