Heavenly Strawberry Pie

Hey!

As I write this, I am finishing off the last piece of the best pie I have ever had! I have a friend whose family owns a strawberry farm and she shared this recipe with me. If you haven't tried any of my recipes, now is the day to try one and this is it...You will not regret it! Also, strawberries are in season right now and if you are able to pick your own at a local farm, you should try it. Strawberry picking is one of my favorite things to do during this time of year. (In case you haven't noticed, I have quite a few 'favorite things' during the spring.)

 A good pie always starts with a homemade graham cracker crust. Yummy, buttery goodness...you just can't go wrong with a good homemade crust.

 Especially when you add chocolate to bottom of the pie. Uh...can we say, heaven?!?

 The key to this light and delicious pie is real whipped cream. Make sure you take the time to 'whip it good'!

 More yummy goodness...cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla. How can you go wrong with that combo?

 Oooo...Ahhhh...Almost perfect...The only thing that could make this better is...

FRESH STRAWBERRIES!!! Oh, YES!!!

So, enjoy making this absolutely heavenly pie and happy strawberry pickin'. Until next time...

Heavenly Strawberry Pie

Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 additonal Tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Mix the cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into a 9 inch round pie pan (there may be some mixture left over, this is perfect for a single serving if you have a small ramekin). Bake the pie crust for about 10 minutes. Cool completely. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter and chocolate chips in a small saucepan, stirring constantly. Once crust is cooled, spread melted chocolate on top of crust.

Filling:

1 (8oz) package cream cheese

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese until slightly fluffy. Add brown sugar and vanilla to the cream cheese. Mix well. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Do not beat after adding the whipped cream. Pour filling over the pie crust and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

To serve, slice strawberries and pour over the top...The key is to remember that you can never have too many strawberries.

When I make this pie, I make the crust and filling the night before and then right before serving slice up the strawberries. You can also slice strawberries and place on the individual slices of the pie, that way if there are any leftovers (and I'm not making any promises that there would be any) you don't have strawberry juice all over the place. Enjoy!