Strawberry Lemonade Pie, A Spring Favorite
Strawberry picking with my kids is one of my favorite spring traditions. My oldest daughter especially gets into it, she can pick for hours! My baby sits in the wagon and eats berries for hours, and we all leave happy, full and ready to make strawberry desserts! We have several tried and true recipes we always make, but this year I went to Pinterest to hunt for something new to shake things up.
Mel of Mel’s Kitchen Cafe has truly never failed me, so when I saw this amazing recipe I knew it was in my line up! There are a few steps to it, but the work pays off, this pie is delicious and beautiful!
Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie
Man this was not a disappointment at all! I found it was good after about 24 hours in the freezer, but even better after 48 hours. My brother, sister in law, and husband all a loved it and they aren’t the easiest to please. I haven’t had people rave about a dessert so much in a long time, and I bake desserts a lot! This was a labor I’d love I’d say and was going to be really annoyed if it wasn’t amazing, and it did not disappoint. Also, the leftover warm strawberries were a dessert in and of itself for my little girls. They gobbled them up. This is definitely a dessert I will make every summer! Author: Kerri Andersen Total Time: PT6H15M
Yield: 8
Serving size: 5
Calories per serving: 975
Ingredients:
Serving size: 5
Calories per serving: 975
3 cups (about 18 ounces) chopped strawberries
1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
12 rectangle graham crackers (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Finely crush the graham crackers. Stir in the sugar and melted butter and stir until evenly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch or 9.5-inch pie plate. Bake until lightly golden, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
For the filling, add the chopped strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons water to a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Let the mixture cook for 5-6 minutes until the strawberries are really soft.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with a large spoon or spatula (you'll only be using the liquid, not the solids). You should have about 1 cup of strawberry puree. *If you have more, only use 1 cup for the recipe.* Let the syrup cool completely.
In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cooled syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until smooth and creamy.
In a separate bowl (or in a high-powered blender), beat the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the strawberry cream cheese mixture until evenly combined.
Spread the filling evenly into the cooled crust (it will be piled fairly high, especially if using a 9-inch pie plate). It will thicken as it freezes. Freeze until firm, about 4-5 hours. I let it freeze completely and then cover with plastic wrap.
Remove the pie from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before serving. Slice with a sharp knife dipped into hot water and wiped clean (repeat between slices, if needed). Serve with fresh strawberries as a garnish, optional.
Source: melskitchencafe.com
For the filling, add the chopped strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons water to a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Let the mixture cook for 5-6 minutes until the strawberries are really soft.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with a large spoon or spatula (you'll only be using the liquid, not the solids). You should have about 1 cup of strawberry puree. *If you have more, only use 1 cup for the recipe.* Let the syrup cool completely.
In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cooled syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until smooth and creamy.
In a separate bowl (or in a high-powered blender), beat the heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the strawberry cream cheese mixture until evenly combined.
Spread the filling evenly into the cooled crust (it will be piled fairly high, especially if using a 9-inch pie plate). It will thicken as it freezes. Freeze until firm, about 4-5 hours. I let it freeze completely and then cover with plastic wrap.
Remove the pie from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before serving. Slice with a sharp knife dipped into hot water and wiped clean (repeat between slices, if needed). Serve with fresh strawberries as a garnish, optional.
Source: melskitchencafe.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
First you make the graham cracker crust and let it cool. While that is baking, you make and strain strawberry sauce. Get out your beaters and beat the cream cheese until soft. Then add sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth. Add cooled strawberry syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until smooth and creamy.
In a different bowl, beat your heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Then you fold this into your strawberry lemonade filling. Looks delicious, eh? Spread it all into your cooled pie crust and freeze for at least 4-5 hours, and cover with plastic wrap.
I like to get the pie out of the freezer about 15 minutes before serving, so I just pull it out after we’ve finished eating. Pro tip: use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean to cut into slices. You can heat the knife up between each slice if needed! Serve with fresh strawberries and garnish with mint if you like! Thanks Pinterest for another great recommendation!
Sources:
Stefanie Hathaway
Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2016
Email the author! stefanie@dvo.com
