Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

Make the blueberry topping first so it can cool: Using a fork, mix the cornstarch and lemon juice together in a small bowl until the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside. Warm the blueberries and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally to help them thaw or break down some juices. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes as the topping thickens and simmers, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside at room temperature until step 5. (Must completely cool, so transferring to a bowl out of the saucepan helps speed that up. Feel free to refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

Make the crust: If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and cool for just 15 minutes as you prepare the filling in the next step.

Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 4 minutes. Set aside. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth. Using your mixer on low speed or a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined. This takes several turns of your silicone spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.

Assemble layers: Spread filling into slightly cooled crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth down the top. Spoon cooled blueberry filling evenly on top.

Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. The longer refrigerated, the better the pie will set up. You could also freeze the pie for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

Feel free to garnish the pie with whipped cream right before or a few hours before serving (keep pie refrigerated after adding whipped cream). I used Wilton 1M piping tip for the whipped cream in the pictured pie. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice. Tip: The first slice is never pretty! Much easier to slice after that 1st piece is out.

Cover and store leftover pie in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 5 days.