Strawberry Cream Cheese Pretzel Pie
This Strawberry Cream Cheese Pretzel Pie is unbelievably delicious! A salty pretzel pie crust is filled with a sweet cream cheese filling and topped with the most delicious strawberry topping.
Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate
- Food Processor
- Hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
For the pretzel pie crust:
- 4 cups pretzels
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
For the cream cheese filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the strawberry topping:
- 1 lb strawberries, hulled
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
For the pretzel pie crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add pretzels to a food processor and pulse until most large pieces are broken up. It's ok if you have a few pieces about the size of a pea, but you primarily want the pretzels pulverized.
- Add melted butter and maple syrup, tossing completely until pretzels have saturated the liquid. Press into a 9-inch pie plate, using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass that's been sprayed with natural cooking oil to press it down.
- Bake for 10 minutes until pie crust is golden and slightly crisped. Set aside to cool completely as you prepare the other components of the recipe.
For the strawberry topping:
- Quarter a majority of the strawberries, halving any smaller berries. This doesn't need to be precise! It will cook down anyway. Reserve a few berries: you can slice some to decorate the pie, or quarter them to toss into the strawberry topping once it's cooked. I like doing this, as it adds more texture to the topping.
- Combine prepared berries in a medium saucepan with sugar, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of water. Set over medium heat. I like using a muddler to quicken this process, breaking down the berries so they don't have to cook as long.
- Once the mixture is lightly simmering and is milky, remove from the heat and set aside to cool. It's a good idea to transfer the mixture to a different bowl so it can cool faster, and doesn't continue to cook. Pop it in the refrigerator to speed up this process. Once the mixture is nearly completely cool, add the remaining chopped berries and stir to combine. As the berries are cooling, making the cream cheese filling.
For the cream cheese filling:
- In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon, and almond extract. Use a hand mixer (or your stand mixer if using), and mix until completely smooth. Add half the cream, mixing until it's combined. Add remaining cream and mix until it's smooth.
- Pour cream cheese filling into the cooled pretzel pie crust. Spread evenly over the crust.
- Top with the strawberry topping. I like adding sliced strawberries to the perimeter of the pie, but you can decorate any way you like!
- Chill for at least 2 hours before enjoying - if you can wait that long!