Deluxe Strawberry Cheese Pie

Remember when I professed my love for strawberries? Well, I’ve found another use for them. Fresh strawberries on top of a cheese pie.

I’ve been looking for something to make and somehow incorporate fresh strawberries.  I didn’t want to make any type of cake, I’d already made a cookie and I didn’t want to make a sauce.  I could have taken hubby’s suggestion and made us some strawberry shakes, but I was looking for something new.

When I first saw this recipe, I thought it sounded an awful lot like a cheesecake.  Which, I guess it is essentially.  It has a graham cracker crust, cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla.  I mean, doesn’t that sound like a cheesecake to you? The difference?  It’s in pie form.   

I ended up using a store bought graham cracker crust (from Big Lots – I love Big Lots!) since I had one.  But, you could totally make your own.  The original recipe also called for red currant jelly, which, I didn’t have, so I just used some seedless blackberry jam.

Call it what you like, Strawberry Cheescake or Strawberry Cheese Pie, the taste is the same – delicious!

Deluxe Strawberry Cheese Pie
Adapted from The All New Good Housekeeping Cook Book
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
Graham Cracker Crust (store bought or make your own – mine was store bought)
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 pints of strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1/3 cup seedless jelly (I used blackberry)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; beat just until combined.

Pour cheese filling into crust (cooled, if you made your own). Bake until set, about 30 minutes. Cool pie completely.

In a small saucepan, heat jelly over medium-low heat until melted.

Arrange strawberries on top of pie. Brush with melted jelly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.