Best Ever Fresh Strawberry Pie

Name: Best Ever Fresh Strawberry Pie
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2/3 cup shortening; 1 tablespoon white vinegar; 4 to 5 tablespoons 2% milk; FILLING:; 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened; 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar; 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest; 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract; TOPPING:; 6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled (about 2 pounds); 3/4 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cup water; 1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin; 1 teaspoon butter

Next time you get a pint or two of perfectly ripe strawberries, make my favorite pie. It combines fresh berries and a lemony cream cheese layer. If you’re in a hurry, use a pre-made pie shell. —Janet Leach, Granger, Washington

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4 to 5 tablespoons 2% milk
FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
TOPPING:
6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled (about 2 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin
1 teaspoon butter

Directions

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add vinegar and milk, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°.
Line pastry with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove foil and weights; bake 3-6 minutes longer or until bottom is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
In a bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest and extract until blended. Spread carefully onto bottom of crust. Refrigerate while preparing topping.
Place strawberries in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and water until blended; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened and clear. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Stir in butter. Pour over strawberries, tossing gently to coat. Arrange over filling. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.

Editor's Note

Let pie weights cool before storing. Beans and rice may be reused for pie weights, but not for cooking.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 564 calories, 27g fat (10g saturated fat), 33mg cholesterol, 359mg sodium, 75g carbohydrate (47g sugars, 3g fiber), 7g protein.

Originally published as Best Ever Fresh Strawberry Pie in Taste of Home June/July 2015

Reviews

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Average Rating:

NH-rescue

Sep 30, 2017

This pie not only looks lovely, it tastes great, too! The cream cheese layer adds just the right amount of sweetness. Great pie to have on a warm summer night. For a variation, try a little sprinkle of coconut or chocolate shavings on top.
geopchick

Jun 22, 2017

I love this pie! The lemon and strawberry combo is awesome. I use a gluten-free graham cracker crust since my daughter is gluten intolerant and it's her favorite dessert. She asks me to make it for every birthday. :)
nanacoyle

Jul 10, 2016

The pie was delicious I don't know what happened but it fell apart and the Jell-O did not gel I used regular Jell-O not InstantI followed the recipe exactly any ideas thank you
rwippel

Jul 15, 2015

This pie is so amazing! The touch of lemon in the cream cheese mixture really sets it off!
riley60

Jul 5, 2015

I've made this pie 2 times now and it is delicious! The first time I did not have a lemon for zest so I subbed in lime zest and lime juice. Loved it! The second time I made it I used lemon in the cream cheese layer but subbed in raspberry jello, raspberries and blueberries. Equally tasty! I used the crust recipe as written. It was time consuming to chill and bake but the crust remained crispy underneath the cream cheese layer. Definitely will make this pie again!
phyllie2

Jun 5, 2015

I made this today with berries from the garden, and oh my was it good! I had left over flavored cream cheese-berry, blueberry and honey nut- that I used with some regular cream cheese-probably only 4 oz- plus a little of the powdered sugar. It was a pretty color and just enough to spread in the shell and give each person a taste. I used part Splenda and some sugar and diet jello and it tasted fine. I shouldn't rate your recipe since I changed it somewhat, but it was really good and my diabetic husband appreciated the changes. Thanks for sharing.
havingfunwithmyfamily

May 31, 2015

I did make the pie crust, and followed the recipe exactly. I really think I'm just to impatient to go through all of the steps again. The process from beginning to end was a very long one for me. To save time, just like previous reviewers, I would also buy a pre-made crust next time. The pie was however, delicious. Everyone really enjoyed it. There was not a piece left.
cookinama

May 25, 2015

This was absolutely delicious. I used a refrigerated pie crust. Baked it ahead with foil and pie weights. It did not need as long a baking time as the recipe The jello did set up nicely and it does pool around the berries which I thought was pretty. Of course you could discard the excess jello if your not a fan. My friends loved it , definitely will make again!
daniellem02

May 21, 2015

We liked this recipe. It is very light tasting, and the cream cheese layer provided a nice contrast. I think next time I will use a frozen pie shell, just because I don't really like pie crust at all, so the extra work seems a waste for me. But if you do love crust, this recipe was an easy one. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that I thought the jello would be more absorbed, and it wasn't. There was quite a bit of jello around the edges of the pie, and in between the berries, which I wasn't a huge fan of. I followed the recipe exactly.