A buttery shortbread cookie crust filled with unbelievably creamy lemon mousse-like filling and topped with a sweet homemade blueberry topping!
Lemon and blueberry…two exceptional flavors that go together like Lucy and Ricky. It’s a quintessential combo that’s incredibly refreshing and absolutely screams SPRING. Unfortunately, my neck of the woods seems to be stuck in winter mode, and it literally dumped half a foot of snow this past week. Let me remind you that it’s freaking APRIL.
Luckily, I can still find solace in treating my taste buds to something bright and citrusy, like this Lemon Blueberry Cream Pie!
Complete with a rich and buttery shortbread crust, fluffy lemon cream filling, and sweet blueberry topping, this Lemon Blueberry Cream Pie is an absolute dream. Just one bite, and I had completely forgotten about the fact that it was still colder than a witch’s thorax outside.
What makes this pie even better is the fact that it’s no-bake, which is perfect for those hot summer days when you just don’t feel like turning that oven on. To start things off, I like to make the blueberry topping. Even though it’s the final layer of the pie, it requires a good amount of time to cool off before it can go on top of the lemon filling.
For the topping, you can either use frozen or fresh blueberries. I prefer to use frozen since I hate to cook down perfectly plump fresh blueberries when I can pop them in my mouth instead. Regardless of which kind you use, the blueberries need to cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes until their juices start to release. Combine some sugar, cornstarch (thickener) and salt, then stir this mixture into your berries. As you continue to cook the berries with the sugar-cornstarch mixture, a thick sauce will begin to form. This only takes about 3-5 minutes. Once it’s thickened, stir in a little lemon juice, then transfer the blueberry topping to a shallow bowl (so it cools faster), and refrigerate it until it’s completely cool. However, if you’re incredibly impatient like me, you can also chill it in the freezer. Just make sure to take it out and stir every 15 minutes or so.
The crust is a simple shortbread crust made with crushed vanilla wafer cookies, a little bit of sugar, and some melted butter. I’ve also used Keebler Sandies shortbread cookies which provide a richer, more buttery flavor. If you do go the Sandies route, you may have to add a little more cookie crumbs since they’re more buttery than your typical Nilla wafer cookie.
To make the lemon cream filling, you’ll start off by whipping some heavy cream in a stand mixer (or a bowl with a beater) until nice and fluffy. Once whipped and stiff (that sounds a little dirty), transfer the whipped cream to another bowl and return the bowl to the mixer–no need to clean it! In the bowl, beat some cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. The cream cheese and sugar need to be COMPLETELY combined before adding the lemon juice, or else you’ll end up with tiny bits of cream cheese throughout the filling. Not that I made this dumb mistake or anything…
Once the cream cheese and sugar are completely incorporated, it’s safe to add the rest of the ingredients–lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract. After everything is combined, gently fold in the whipped cream that you whipped up earlier. Try to avoid over-mixing, or you’ll deflate the filling and it won’t be nice and fluffy. Pour the lemon filling into the crust, and use either a rubber or offset spatula to spread it out evenly. If your blueberry topping has completely cooled, you can spread it on top of the lemon filling.
To ensure that the pie sets up properly, I like to give it AT LEAST 8 hours in the refrigerator. In fact, if you can make this pie the day before you serve it, and allow it to chill overnight, that’s even better!
Lemon Blueberry Cream Pie
Ingredients
Blueberry Topping:
- 3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Crust:
- 1 ½ cup vanilla wafer crumbs
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons butter melted
Lemon Filling:
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
To Decorate:
- Freshly-whipped cream
Instructions
Make the Blueberry Topping:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the blueberries over medium heat until they soften and their juices start to release, about 2-3 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add mixture to the blueberries and continue cooking until it begins to form a thick sauce, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour into a shallow bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Make the Crust:
- Using a fork, toss the wafer crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together in a medium bowl. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate and refrigerate while you make the filling.
Make the Lemon Filling:
- In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to another bowl and return bowl to mixer.
- Replace whisk attachment with paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy. Add the lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and almond extract, and continue beating until combined.
- Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the whipped cream.
- Pour the filling into the crust and use a rubber spatula or butter knife to create a smooth surface. Pour the cooled blueberry topping evenly on top. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- If desired, pipe a border of whipped cream along the edges of the pie. Slice, serve, and enjoy!