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Cream Cheese Buttery Pie Crust

The perfect buttery, flakey crust made with cream cheese to update your holiday pies.
Author: Catherine's Plates

Equipment

  • food processor or stand mixer You can also hand mix in a regular large mixing bowl
  • measuring spoons & cups
  • plastic wrap

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 (8oz) block cream cheese, cold and cut into small cubes
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into small cubes
  • 3-4 TBS cold water

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer blend together the flour and salt.
    NOTE: if you have a large food processor you can use that for this recipe.
  • If you are using a stand mixer add 1/3 of the cold cream cheese cubes and 1/3 of the cold butter cubes to the flour/salt mixture. Beat on the lowest setting for 1 minute.
  • Add in another 1/3 of the cold cream cheese & butter cubes. beat again on 2nd setting. Add in the rest of the cold cream cheese & butter cubes and beat until small pea size crumbs form.
  • Add in 1 TBS of cold water at a time until very large dough pieces form.
  • Lightly flour a clean work surface and dump out the crumb mixture onto the floured surface. Knead for a few minutes until a dough is formed. Cut dough ball into 2 pieces and roll into rounds.
    NOTE: this recipe makes 2 pie crusts.
  • Flatten out each round of dough to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness. Wrap each piece with plastic very well. Dough will need to chill for at least 30 minutes before making a pie.
  • Remove dough disc from refrigerator and let rest on counter top for 15-20 minutes.
  • Lightly flour work surface and roll out dough. Start in the middle of dough disc and roll outward. Turn dough 1/4 of the way and roll again from middle to outward. Keep doing this until dough is thin enough to fit inside a 9 inch pie plate to hang over side of dish.
  • Roll dough onto the rolling pin and unroll over the pie plate starting on one side and rolling to the other side. Fit pie dough into pie plate bottom and sides with excess hanging over sides.
  • Trim off excess dough around the edges. Flute the edges with your fingers or use a fork to crimp edges.
  • To make a lattice for top of pie, use a pizza cutter to cut equal strips approximately 1/4-1/2 inch wide.
    Fill pie with your favorite pie filling.
  • Lay 4-5 strips of dough on top of pie leaving an equal distance between the strips.
  • Pull back every other strip to the edge and insert a new strip across the remaining strips. Fold back over the new strip the strips that were pulled back. Keep the process going to the end and it looks like a lattice.
    NOTE: check out my youtube video for a Cherry Pie for a more detailed video of my lattice work.
  • Whisk 1 egg with 1 tsp of water until frothy. Brush over the lattice and pie crust edges.
  • Bake on a sheet pan in a 425 degree oven for 45-50 minutes until pie crust is golden brown. Place a pie crust cover on if needed to keep edges of pie from browning too much. Cool pie completely.