This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Kraft Heinz
Delicious and creamy, homemade Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie! Packed with layers of graham crackers and cream cheese and topped with a sweet layer of strawberries, this cake is a classic dessert addition to your holiday celebrations menu.
There is something really special about the holiday season. Starting with Halloween celebration, then Thanksgiving and Christmas, the end of the year always feels like the most magical time of the year. This time of the year always leaves me wanting to spend most of my time making delicious recipes and sweet desserts for my family and friends.
It’s not a surprise because the baking spirit has been in me for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I grew up to the smell of freshly baked cakes from my mom’s kitchen all the time. She was truly a gifted baker and would always surprise us with new tasty cakes. Be it holidays, summer or just any usual day, baking was a big-time tradition in our family and growing up, I picked up a few traits from my mom as well. She would make the best cream cheese pie and today in this post I am sharing with you all my all-time favourite cream cheese pie from my mom’s kitchen with a little twist of my own.
Over the years, I have tried many different versions of the cream cheese pie. Baked, not baked, layered, a single layer and with a ton of different toppings. But the combination of a simple dough pie crust and a layer of graham crackers and cream cheese is what that has stuck out the most. And the juicy strawberries, just add the delicious sweet punch to the overall cake and leave you with a feeling of wanting more. So, let’s get started! For this recipe, I have used the Philadelphia® Cream Cheese which is made with no artificial flavours and Cool Whip® for the topping, both of which are available at Walmart. The fresh Philadelphia® Cream Cheese adds a creamy texture to the cake and the Cool Whip® as a topping on the cake makes every bite so delicious.
For the pie crust, mix the flour, sugar, kosher salt, unsalted butter in a bowl. Add water as needed so that the mixture combines and holds together. Flatten the dough and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate it for 1 hour.
Once the dough is cool enough, using the rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and place it onto a 9” pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Roll the hanging dough on the edge to form a neat rim over the dough and then use your thumb and two fingers to form crimped edges. Refrigerate the pie shell for 15 to 20 minutes.
Crumble the graham cracker crumbs over the refrigerated pie shell to fit the circular base and freeze for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake pie shell for 20 to 25 minutes. The pie shell should appear light brownish. Let the pie shell cool for an hour.
Next in a bowl, using a hand blender, blend the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sweetened almond milk, vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Pour into the prepared pie crust, cover the entire pie and refrigerate for 3–4 hours.
Top pie crust with pie filling; spread in an even layer. Top with dollops of COOL WHIP and serve.
Also exciting news! Make sure to take part in this holiday sweepstakes currently running at Walmart and win grand prizes to make this holiday season a little more special.
Enter the #ShareTheHolidaySweepstakes by clicking here for a chance to win daily prizes of $100 Walmart gift cards and a grand prize trip to visit loved ones (a $2,500 value). Plus, as a special gift from Walmart, you'll be emailed a link to download a free digital cookbook of holiday favorites (including this recipe!).
I hope that this Strawberry Cream Cheese pie makes it to your holiday menu this year and you enjoy every bite of it celebrating and making a ton of beautiful memories with your near and dear loved ones!
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
Notes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 5 hours
For the Pie Crust:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1–2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces so that it’s easier to
blend
6–8 teaspoons of ice-cold ice water
8 graham cracker sheets, crushed into crumbs
For the Pie Filling:
8 ounces PHILADLEPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
⅓ cup sweetened almond milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
For the Pie Topping:
1 can (21 oz.) strawberry pie filling with no artificial colors or preservatives added
1 ½ cups COOL WHIP Topping, thawed
Pie Crust:
- In a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, brown sugar and salt.
- Next, add the butter and ¼ cup of water and combine using a pastry blender until it is thoroughly mixed.
- Once the dough is mixed, take it all out of the bowl and hold it in your hand. If it holds together, then the dough is ready. If it doesn’t, beat the dough back, add a little bit more water and keep kneading it. The dough should be able to hold together without getting overly sticky.
- Flatten the dough and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate it for 1 hour.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12” circle that’s about ⅛” thick. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking.
- Carefully place onto a 9” pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Trim dough to within ½ of the edge of pie dish using kitchen scissors.
- Boundary design: Roll the hanging dough on the edge to form a neat rim over the dough and then use your thumb and two fingers to form crimped edges.
- Refrigerate the pie shell for 15–20 minutes.
- Layer the graham cracker crumbs over the refrigerated pie shell to fit the circular base and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake pie shell for 20-25 minutes. The pie shell should appear light brownish. Let the pie shell cool for an hour.
Pie Filling:
- Using a hand blender, blend the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the sweetened almond milk and keep blending until smooth.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared pie crust, cover the entire pie and refrigerate for 3–4 hours.
Pie Topping:
- Top pie crust with pie filling; spread in an even layer. Top with dollops of COOL WHIP.
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