Black Raspberry Cream Freezer Pie

I've had my eye on this black raspberry cream freezer pie from Better Homes and Gardens since August of 2007. It seemed like the perfect summer dessert, so I unearthed it from my files for our 4th of July party. I loved that it only needed 5 easy ingredients and 10 minutes (not counting freezing time) to create. The flavor reminded me of the black raspberry ice cream from my childhood and it was the perfect light (although not in calories) and frosty dessert to chase our cookout smorgasbord with on a sweltering July night.

Following the recipe, I brushed a prepared graham cracker crust with egg white, then baked it for 5 minutes at 375 degrees. I assume that this is to keep the crust from becoming soggy, however, next time I will skip this step completely. I found that it made the crust hard to get a fork through and chewy in the mouth.



For the filling, drop a (8 oz.) block of cream cheese in your mixing bowl and beat it until it's smooth.



Then grab a 10 oz. jar of black raspberry spread. I used Smucker's Black Raspberry jelly because it is seedless and fairly inexpensive.



Beat the raspberry preserves into the cream cheese until combined.



Then fold in a pint of heavy whipping cream, beaten until stiff peaks form.



Pour the mixture into the pie shell, then cover and freeze for 4 to 24 hours or until firm. This is a great recipe to make a day or two ahead when you've got a moment.

This picture looks a little like blueberry yogurt pie to me, but it does freeze up beautifully.



When it's time to serve, pull the pie out of the freezer in advance so that it's easier to cut. You still want to serve it frozen...it's WAY better that way. You could garnish this with fresh raspberries or a few sprigs of mint. Since I didn't have either on hand, I just topped mine with a dollop of whipped cream.



Here's the recipe:

Black Raspberry Cream Pie (slightly adapted by me) from Better Homes and Gardens original recipe found HERE.

Prep: 10 minutes
Freeze: 4 to 24 hours
Bake: 5 minutes

Ingredients
1 purchased 9-inch graham cracker crumb pie shell
1 cup whipping cream
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 10-oz. jar black raspberry spread or jelly
Fresh black raspberries, lemon peel twist, and/or mint leaves (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl beat whipping cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add black raspberry spread. Beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon mixture into pie shell. Cover and freeze for 4to 24 hours or until firm. Garnish with fresh black raspberries, lemon peel twist, and/or mint. Makes 8 servings

Nutrition Facts
Calories 294, Total Fat (g) 21, Saturated Fat (g) 13, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 6, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 83, Sodium (mg) 114, Carbohydrate (g) 23, Total Sugar (g) 0, Fiber (g) 0, Protein (g) 7, Vitamin A (DV%) 0, Vitamin C (DV%) 0, Calcium (DV%) 5, Iron (DV%) 4, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet