Baking for Stress Relief….

Okay, so it’s nearly the end of the month and I haven’t posted as I had intended. But in my defense, I have so many ideas all at once and it’s difficult to choose between them. 😦

For now I will share with you a delightful cheese pie (also, called cheese cake) recipe that I enjoy making. Just this week, I did some baking as a form of stress relief… one of the items I made was a blueberry cheese pie. Usually, I use the graham cracker crust, but this time I made use of the rollout pie crust I had in the fridge (works as well). 😀 Remember to share your finished product with others! It’s far more satisfying to share. I shared mine so I wouldn’t be tempted to gorge myself on it while feeling stressed. 😀

The cheese pie itself is a super simple recipe, it has a total of four (4) ingredients! If you are concerned about sugar content you may reduce the sugar (to 1/4 Cup) if you like. You may prefer to do this if you are making the fruit glaze topping, but total between the pie and topping there’s only 2/3 Cup of added sugar. Let’s get started! 😀

Pie Filling:

8oz. Cream Cheese

1/3 Cup Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs (whole)

To begin, you’ll want to set the package of cream cheese out so it can get closer to room temperature as this will make for a smoother pie. Gather your baking equipment during this time period as well, you’ll need a 5-speed hand mixer, medium bowl, medium sauce pan with matching lid, wooden or flexible spoon, and correct measuring utensils. Also, have a standard pie dish with your preference of crust on hand ready to receive your pie mixture.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

While the oven is preheating begin mixing the cream cheese and sugar together in your bowl. Once the two are blended add the vanilla and both eggs, continue mixing on medium to medium-high for a couple minutes or until blended smooth. Scrape the filling into your waiting pie crust and bake for 25-30 minutes, until set. Note: IF using a pastry crust, bake the crust till lightly golden prior to adding the filling for baking.

Now, while the pie is baking begin to make the topping.

Pie Topping:

2 Cups Blueberries

(or strawberries can be used instead)

1/3 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Water

1 1/2 Tbs. Cornstarch to 2 Tbs Water

Stir together the blueberries, sugar, and water in the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture comes to a boil reduce the heat to low or low-medium and cover. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, stirring at least once. Stir in the cornstarch and water mixture, return to a boil. Boil for one (1) minute, stirring frequently. Note: During the simmering process, be sure to not let your berry mixture boil over.

Once your pie is done and has cooled for a few minutes, spread your topping over the entire pie. Or if you like, you can do as I did and bake some of the topping into the filling. However, this will increase the cooking time. {This recipe, minus the topping, is good with added pumpkin pie filling as well!} ENJOY!!! 😀