This blueberry cheesecake pie with a delicious shortbread crust will have you swooning with delight after every bite. You won’t believe that it is only sweetened with honey.
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My Dad’s request for most birthday and father’s day celebrations growing up was blueberry cheesecake. It was always a huge treat.
The cheesecake my mom made in those days was much like this cheesecake that I’m sharing today. We called it cheesecake then, but it was more of a cheesecake pie.
Honey-sweetened cheesecake pie
I really wanted to see if I could create a cheesecake pie that was just as tasty, but honey-sweetened. And this recipe is the result of that process. Oh my friends, it is delicious. And dare I say it? Maybe even more so than the original.
Because honey tends to brown faster than sugar in the oven, it’s important that this cheesecake cooks at a super low temperature. It will still come out looking a bit more brown than your normal cheesecake, but never fear, what it lacks in perfectly white looks it more than makes up for in the delicious flavor.
My mom’s cheesecake was made with a graham cracker crust. I wanted to adapt the crust so that it also was sweetened with honey and the shortbread crust I landed on is the perfect solution. In fact it will probably show up in a lot of my pies in the future. I really love it.
A few recipe tips
The shortbread is easy to make in the food processor, but you could also use a pastry cutter to mix it. I normally just use my fingers to press it in the pie pan and that works great.
For the cream cheese filling, using a blender is nice because it comes together so quickly with a nice uniform result. But I’ve also included a note in the recipe if you want to use a hand mixer.
The blueberry topping, my friends, is to die for good. There is nothing like it coming out of the pie filling cans from the store. You can easily make it with fresh or frozen berries and it’s really not hard! Like 7 or 8 minutes, tops.
It keeps well in the refrigerator for about 3 days. It does tend to develop kind of a film on top if any part is exposed to air. I usually don’t worry about it and just mix it in. But if imperfections like that bother you, you can press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the surface of the berries.
Okay my friends I’m wrapping it up here. But before I go let me just say, this blueberry cheesecake pie truly is special and the perfect treat for nicer occasions. Or if you just need a way to say “I love you”, it’s the perfect treat for that too.
Blueberry Cheesecake Pie with Shortbread Crust {Honey-Sweetened}
This blueberry cheesecake pie with a delicious shortbread crust will have you swooning with delight after every bite. You won't believe that it is only sweetened with honey.
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- ½ cup butter softened
- 3 tablespoons raw honey
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups (6.65 ounces) all-purpose flour
Cheesecake Filling:
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup (9 ounces) raw honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Blueberry Topping:
- 2 cups (10 ounces) fresh or frozen blueberries
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup raw honey
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
For Shortbread Crust:
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In a food processor add softened butter and mix a few minutes until smooth. Then add raw honey and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated, scraping down sides of food processor as needed.
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Add half of the flour and mix. Then scrape down sides of bowl, add the remaining flour and mix until dough forms a ball. Press dough into 9-inch pie pan.
For Cheesecake Filling:
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Add softened cream cheese, eggs, honey, and vanilla to a blender jar and blend about 30 seconds until smooth. Scrape down sides of blender and blend for another 10 seconds or so.
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Pour cheesecake filling over shortbread crust and bake in preheated 300 degree F oven for about 45 minutes or until filling is just set with a slight jiggle in the center.
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After cheesecake is done, allow to cool at room temperature for at least an hour (or until cool to the touch). Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving or up to 24 hours in advance.
For Blueberry Topping:
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While the cheesecake is cooking prepare blueberry topping by combining in a medium saucepan the blueberries, water, honey, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Continue cooking longer, if desired, depending on the texture you are going for. The longer you cook it, the more the blueberries will break down.
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Remove from the heat, scrape the mixture into a small bowl or jar (a wide-mouth pint canning jar is perfect) and then refrigerate.
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Serve slices of cheesecake with a dollop of blueberry topping. Or you can spread the blueberry topping evenly over the entire cheesecake before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes
1. If you don’t have a food processor, you can easily make the shortbread crust in a bowl with a pastry cutter.
2. For the cream cheese filling, using a blender is nice because it comes together so quickly with a nice uniform result. If using a hand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese for a few minutes until fluffy. Then add the eggs and the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
3. The topping can be stored, covered in the refrigerator for about 3 days. It does tend to develop kind of a film on top if there is any part exposed to air. I usually don’t worry about it and just mix it in. But if imperfections like that bother you, you can press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the surface of the berries.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
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