Squeaking in oooonnnne more blueberry treat before the season is up! Boo, don’t go, summer!
Mostly because it’s Michigan blueberry season in these parts and that’s like a national holiday, that’s uh, limited to uh, the Midwest? Ok, so it’s a national holiday season for folks I’m related to.
Hey, it’s summer, it’s hot, my brain is mushy.
But all right, this pie, yes a Blueberry Cheesecake Pie. We have Mike to thank for this request but also my Dad because I like to make him blueberry things when Michigan berries breeze into town. There is literally never enough blueberry for him.
And if you are a super monster raging blueberry fan, cannot get enough of those tart lil’ buggers, whoooo-eeee is this pie for you.
You guys did see Jen’s Fresh Blueberry Pie, right? It looks like a heaven-sent recipe for sure with the added summer-friendly bonus of being no-bake!
This particular recipe I’m sharing today takes the mash-up concept of pie and cheesecake a step into the holy cats and dogs stratosphere.
Not sure how this came up but one evening Mike…oh I asked him if he wanted his annual peach pie and jaw to floor, he shockingly said no. Whaaaaat?
“How about……um…. like a cheesecake…… with blueberries but as a um, like a pie?”
Huh. Ok.
“I bet your dad would love that. But not like your usual cheesecake, I’m not real into those towering New York styles, like a thinner one. Like a pie.”
He’s nuts, man, that New York style one I make is off the freakin’ hook but ok, it’s ok, whatever. I still love him.
“All righty babe, I’m on it.”
It didn’t take long to find the ultimate in blueberry cheesecake pie, here courtesy of The Merchant Baker. Whooie.
Three pints of berries?! Wowza! Ok, it’s on, let’s do this!
The crust is easy, and kinda revolutionary in a sense: graham crackers AND vanilla wafers. What could be wrong there? Smash them to crumbs, mix with butter and sugar (the latter of which I’m going to skip next time), bake, cool, done.
Ok! Cheesecake pie time.
Whip up the room temp cream cheese for a minute or two, until it’s nice and fluffy.
Next, add the sour cream. Or, I used plain yogurt as that sounded more appealing to me and well, I had it and not sour cream though if I had had sour cream, I personally would have chosen the yogurt. Heh. But use whichever you prefer! Add the sugar and cornstarch too, beat that around until fluffier.
Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and zest, stir that around then add one egg, mix that in thoroughly on low then add the other egg.
After everything is nicely combined, pour the cheesecake batter into the pre-baked crust and bake. Try to contain your excitement.
Now. I know. If you’ve ever made a cheesecake before, you know it’s difficult to tell when it’s done. This one was tricky too and I may have gone a hair too long but it was still exceptional.
The edges on this one will be puffy, look somewhat dry and a bit set, and the middle jigglier than a typical cheesecake. None of it will look ready but try to avoid the longer baking time.
I’m not sure I understand the purpose of the direction to turn off the oven, open the door wide, and let the cheesecake sit in there for an hour but I followed it. Weird.
Anyway, let it next cool on the counter until room temp then chill that bad boy in the fridge, preferably overnight. Six hours is a bare bare minimum but it’s better overnight.
Make the blueberry pie filling next which is as simple as heating up the first few ingredients, adding most of the blueberries and bringing that to a gentle boil.
Once that mix has gotten to your desired thickness, pull it off the stove and add the remaining goodies. Cool to room temp then chill in the fridge if you’re not using it right away.
When you’re ready, and ooooh boy, you better be ready, pile on all, yes all of the pie filling, slice and serve. This is, after all, a Blueberry Cheesecake Pie ya know.
After a gushing email from my mom who’s not a blueberry fan but she ate a piece anyway because it was soooooo delicious she said, and an email from my dad saying how much he enjoyed it, followed by an email from my mom saying it’s a sad sad day at their place, the pie is gone? Bam, decision rendered: winner! “That’s the best crust ever,” my mom raved.
The final test was Mike the Requester.
“Whaddya think there, babe?”
All I got was a look and he turned back to eating. I asked again. Got another look but with the addition of a s’up type nod. Like I’ve said before, he’s not effuse with the comments.
“Is it….” Interrupting, he blurted, “very good,” combined with half a coveting-it side glance, don’t come near me or I’ll stab you with my fork. Nicely.
Not satisfied on what, how…where this pie fits into my canon, I exasperatedly queried a very specific question, “babe, where does this pie belong in the grand scheme of All Things I’ve Ever Baked?”
“Top five for sure. Easily top five.” Oh. Oh! Ok then. What else is in that top 5, babe? “Uhh….I’m drawing a blank but it’s definitely top five. Definitely.”
There we have it, solid gold. Or blue. Blueberry Cheesecake Pie, who woulda thought?!
Go forth and inundate yourself with blueberries!
Ingredients
The Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker and vanilla wafer crumbs any combination equal to 1 1/2 cups; 16 cookies, 6 whole grahams
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar optional
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
The Cheesecake:
- 1 pound cream cheese two 8 oz. packages, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt room temperature
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 pinch lemon zest
- 2 large eggs room temperature
1 full recipe of Fresh Blueberry Pie Filling (see below)
Instructions
- *Reminder: This recipe needs to chill overnight so prepare the recipe the day before serving.
The Crust:
- Start preheating the oven to 325° F (160° C).
- Either zip the graham crackers and vanilla wafers in a food processor or smash them to crumbs in a plastic bag then measure out 1 1/2 cups.
- In a medium bowl, stir the crumbs, the sugar, and the melted butter together or combine everything in the food processor.
- Pour the crumb mixture into a 9” deep dish pie pan, pressing evenly around starting with the sides and ending with the bottom. Bake the crust for 8 minutes and let cool. Leave the oven on 325°.
The Cheesecake:
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape the bowl and add in the sugar, sour cream or yogurt, and cornstarch, beating on medium until well combined.
- Stir in the next three ingredients, vanilla, lemon juice and zest, then add the eggs one at a time. Beat on low speed until well mixed.
- Add the cheesecake batter to the cooled crust and bake until set, about 30-40 minutes. The edges will be puffy and slightly dry, the middle will be soft, underdone looking, and jiggly. Turn off the oven, open the door fully, and let the cheesecake and oven cool together for an hour.
- Remove the cheesecake and cool to room temperature after which chill in the refrigerator at minimum 6 hours but best overnight.
- Prepare the blueberry pie filling (see additional recipe below), chill it, and when ready to serve, evenly scoop the filling over the cheesecake. Slice and serve.
Notes
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh blueberries divided into 4 cups and 2 cups (3 pints)
- 9 tablespoons sugar adjust up or down based on blueberry sweetness/tartness
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 pinch salt
- zest from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Rinse the blueberries. Set aside to drain.
- In a large saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, water, salt, and heat over medium, stirring until everything is well mixed. Add the 4 cups of blueberries, raise the heat and bring to a boil, stirring often until the liquid mixture has thickened to your liking.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the lemon juice and zest, stir then add the remaining blueberries, stirring gently.
- To cool, add the filling to a large bowl and set aside. Use once cooled or refrigerate until needed.
That perfect set cheesecake looks bliss and then you topped it off with those perfect blueberries. Can only imagine how good this tastes!
Oh thank you so much! What a compliment coming from you, your food is so beautiful! Thank you!
Delicious! Great directions and reminders. I am planning to make this again and I am not going to change a thing. Fantastic recipe
Oh excellent, yay! I’m super thrilled you had such great success and enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much!