Strawberries and Cream Pie

sofie-a-toast's Note:

This could also be called a no-bake cheesecake. Wonderful and elegant Valentine's or summer dessert. When my roommate first tried this, she promptly requested that this be made every year for her birthday. That good! Adapted from Just Putzing Around the Kitchen blog. *If you have a deep dish pie pan, you might want to 1 1/2 or double this.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (About 9 full or long crackers, just throw them in a gallon bag, zip, and crush with a rolling pin.)
• 5 -6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup whipping cream, plus 1 T
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• strawberry, sliced (1 carton)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a small bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until a crumbly, moist mixture forms.
3. Gently but firmly press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom/sides of a pie dish.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
5. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixture to beat your cream until it holds firm peaks. Set aside.
6. In a separate, larger bowl, mix cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth and creamy.
7. Fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into your cream cheese mixture to lighten it, then add the rest. Gently fold until evenly incorporated and smooth.
8. Spoon filling into your cooled pie crust, and spread it out in an even layer.
9. Layer sliced strawberries in an overlapping rows around the top of the cream.
10. Melt chocolate + 1 tbsp cream, and stir until smooth and liquid. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the strawberries.
11. Stick the pie in the fridge for a few hours to allow the creamy filling to firm up.