Pie Recipe #25 - Cherry Cream Pie

Plump sweet cherries floating in a sea of whipped cream lying on a bed of sweetened cream cheese with a bottom and edge of nutty crust. Ingredients: Crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup butter, softened, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar. Filling: 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped, 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling. Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the flour, walnuts, butter and brown sugar. Transfer to a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once. Set aside 1/2 cup of crumbs. While warm, press the remaining crumbs into a greased 9 inch pie plate, firmly pressing onto the bottom and up the sides. Chill for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and almond extract until smooth. Spread over bottom of crust. Whip the whipped cream until stiff; gently fold into the pie filling until combined. Spread mixture over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Presented by Carol Wencka, Greenfield, WI in the 2012 "Taste of Home Annual Recipes", Reiman Media Group, LLC, Greendale, WI, 2011. "As easy as pie!"