The Creamy Ingredient Your Cherry Pie Has Been Missing

Cherry pie isn't just a summer treat. The sweet and sour filling makes it a delicious alternative to apple pie. While it's especially popular in the Midwest because of the region's cherry growing season, cherry pie is a simple yet delicious treat. The tart cherries paired with a sweet and crumbly pie crust taste especially good when topped with a dollop of whipped cream, but there's another way to incorporate those creamy notes straight into the pie itself, with an added flavor edge.

Layering the bottom of the pie with cream cheese can elevate this sweet treat by adding delicious textures and flavors to every bite. The creamy, tangy notes of cream cheese perfectly complement the tangy, sweet cherry pie filling and its crumbly crust. The slight sourness of cream cheese also adds a nice touch, much like how a little bit of lemon juice goes a long way to elevate the sweet cherry filling. For an extra step, whip the cream cheese with sugar to give it a light and smooth texture. If you have some leftover opened cream cheese that needs to be finished, using it to add creaminess to cherry pie is one of the best ways to do it. In a pinch, you can also quickly put together a no-bake version of the cream cheese cherry pie, which is admittedly more like cheesecake than pie but is luxurious and delicious nevertheless.

Start by softening cream cheese in the microwave using this simple technique, then vigorously mix it with sugar (a quarter-cup per eight-ounce package is a good place to start). It's up to you how sweet you want to make the cream cheese but keep in mind that you want it to contrast with the cherry filling. For instance, if you like the cream cheese to be sweeter, reduce the sugar in the cherry mixture to keep it a little tart. Add a dash of vanilla essence to the cream cheese to round out the sweet flavor, then whip the mixture till smooth. Line the bottom of the pie dish with raw pie dough then add a layer of cream cheese over it. Top with the cherry filling, cover with another layer of dough, vent that top, and you're ready to bake.

To make the pie lighter calorie-wise, use low-fat cream cheese. You can also significantly cut down prep time by using canned cherry pie filling, which works quite well since it is complemented by the cream cheese. Alternatively, add cream cheese to blueberry pie and enjoy a similar sweet-tart-creamy combination.

To make a non-bake version of the pie, use a ready-made graham cracker base and layer it with sweetened cream cheese and cherry filling. You may have to cook down the cherry filling to make it thicker, since the pie is not baked here. Once assembled, refrigerate overnight and enjoy your creamy cherry pie the next day.