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Cream Cheese Crust

This crust, which has a nice tangy flavor, can be used in any recipe that calls for Plain Pie Pastry (page 17) or Vinegar Pie Crust (page 19). It’s a good idea to chill the crust for at least 15 minutes before baking; this will help the crust stick together better.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes one 9-inch crust

Ingredients

1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer on low speed until thoroughly combined. Add the flour a little at a time and continue mixing until thoroughly combined. The dough will be very crumbly. Press the dough together and smooth it over with your hands.

    Step 2

    Shape the dough into a round disk and roll it out between 2 sheets of waxed paper to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Mend any cracks as you go along. If you have time, freeze the crust for 10 to 15 minutes before placing it in a pie plate for parbaking. If you don’t have time to freeze, it’s okay, but you still need to parbake this crust.

    Step 3

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lift off the top sheet of waxed paper and use the bottom sheet to flip the dough into the pie plate. Remove the second sheet of waxed paper and prick the center of the crust with a fork. To parbake the crust, remove it from the oven after 10 to 20 minutes, when you first see a golden hue to the crust.

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