We all have those foods and recipes that remind us of our favorite times. In Amarillo I had some sweet friends that would inaugurate the spring/summer season with a strawberry pie. Feeling nostalgic and excited for the warmer weather I decided to have our own celebration with my version a strawberry pie.

If you haven’t had strawberry pie it does not disappoint and it’s as easy as well…pie to make. The pretzel crust adds a salty note to balance out the sweetness and the creamy cheesecake center adds that extra “something” that takes it to a-whole-nother level. Grab some friends, have some pie and celebrate the warmer days ahead.

Ingredients

Pretzel Pie Crust

• 3 1/2 cups of small pretzels
• 4 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter

Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

Strawberry Topping

• 4 cups of fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 3 tablespoons of strawberry gelatin mix
• 2 tablespoons corn starch

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350

Pretzel Pie Crust

• Place all ingredients into a small food processor and process until the texture resembles wet sand
• Press the crust mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan
• Bake for 10 minutes allowing to cool completely prior to filling

Cheesecake Filling

• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar till light and fluffy
• In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form
• Fold the whipped heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture until just combined
• Spread the mixture into the prepared and cooled pie crust and chill in the refrigerator for an hour

Strawberry Topping

• In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, dry strawberry gelatin powder and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and let bubble for 1 minute then remove from heat
• Place the cleaned and cut strawberries into a large bowl and pour the glaze mixture over strawberries, tossing to coat.
• Spoon the strawberry mixture on top of the chilled cheesecake filling and refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving

Tips and Tricks

• I like cutting the strawberries into a variety of sizes to help “fill the gaps” when topping the pie
• If you do not have a small food processor you can place the pretzels into a large ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin then add the crushed pretzels to a mixing bowl and add the remainder of the ingredients.
• If you are impatient like me, you can put the pie in the freezer for an hour to enjoy more quickly

XO, Ashton