Dad's Favorite Lemon Icebox Pie

1 . Stage

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

2 . Stage

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 . Stage

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 . Stage

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

5 . Stage

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 . Stage

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.