CREAM CHEESE PIE - 5 VARIATIONS

CREAM CHEESE PIE 1 graham cracker pie crust 1 tablespoon flour 3/4 cup sugar 4 packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese, room temperature 4 eggs 1/2 cup half and half* 1 teaspoon vanilla Allow the cream cheese to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, or until softened. Have ready 1 graham cracker crust or any pie crust of your choice. Preheat oven to 450°F.

Place pie crust in hot oven and bake for 10 minutes while preparing filling.

Combine flour, sugar, and softened cream cheese, mixing thoroughly.

Beat the eggs slightly on low speed of mixer, adding half and half and vanilla. Combine with cheese mixture. Alternatively, combine all ingredients for filling in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the pie shell while shell is still hot, then slide it back into the oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes.

Variations: Coconut Cream Cheese Pie: Substitute 1 tablespoon Malibu Coconut Rum for 1 teaspoon vanilla. Sprinkle 1/2 cup flaked coconut over pie before baking.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie: Reduce sugar by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup pineapple syrup. Top pie with a layer of crushed pineapple.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie: Swirl strawberry syrup through the cream cheese in an S-shape. Spread crushed strawberries over the top in a thin layer. Garnish with strawberry halves.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie: Swirl crushed blueberries in syrup in an S-shape through the cream cheese. Add 1/4 cup whole blueberries to the cream cheese filling.

Honey Lemon Cream Cheese Pie: Omit vanilla and substitute 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus 1 tablespoon honey. Garnish with lemon wedges or curled lemon peel strips.

For a festive touch, decorate a cream cheese pie by making fancy stencil cutouts from paper or using paper doilies to cover the top, then sprinkle the cutouts liberally with powdered sugar. Remove the stencil to reveal your design.

*Cooks Note: half and half may be substituted with 1/4 cup each of milk and cream.

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