Cream Cheese Brownie Pie – ‘Tis the Season!
In our house it’s always pie season, but now that it’s *really* pie season, here’s a good recipe. This pie’s an oldie, but it’s a recipe I tend to forget about just when I need it most. It’s easy and everyone loves it. Even people who don’t love pie like this one because basically it’s just a cream cheese brownie baked in a pie crust and topped with fudge sauce. What’s not to like?
This original version calls for Pillsbury brownie mix. I couldn’t find the brownie mix recommended in the original, so I asked a nice lady on the baking aisle what her favorite brownie mix was and she said her husband loved Duncan Hines Decadent Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix. I was happy that a) she had an opinion and b) she didn’t look at me like I was crazy. Times are changing. Sometimes people don’t love it when you walk up to them and ask them what their favorite brownie mix is.
For the crust, I recommend using your favorite or maybe trying this one from The New York Times by Melissa Clark.
Recipe
Cream Cheese Brownie Pie
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9 or 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie pan lined with crust
Cream Cheese Mixture:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg
Brownie Mixture:
- 1 18 oz box of Decadent Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix, Duncan Hines brand or 15.8 oz box Pillsbury Double Chocolate
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water you may need 2 if using the Duncan Hines mix
Topping:
- 1/3 cup or more if you like chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup fudge sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready a 9 inch deep dish pie crust.
- In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the brownie mix, eggs, water and oil until well blended.
- Pour half the brownie mixture into the pie crust, then spread the cream cheese mixture over it. Spread remaining brownie mixture over that. Sprinkle with nuts.
- Cover the pie loosely with a sheet of foil and set the time for 50 minutes. Bake for 50-65 minutes (check at 40 if using a smaller size brownie mix), but make sure to remove the foil the last 20 minutes so that the crust can brown a bit. The top should appear set and slightly cracked.
- While pie is still warm, put some hot fudge or caramel sauce in a zipper bag, snip off the tip of the bag and drizzle sauce over the pie. Let cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
Anna
It’s hard to determine whether crust is “browned” with brownie mix, that’s for sure. Try cooking it for 60 to 65 minutes. I promise it’s a really good pie when it stands up ;).
If you are able to find the original 15.8 oz size box of Pillsbury brownie mix, you could try making the original version of the recipe which does have a 40 to 50 minute bake time. Good luck! Hope you all are having a great holiday season so far!
amy
OF COURSE! I’m sure you’re right that I underbaked it now that you mention that. I only baked it for 45 minutes bc the crust was browned (I did have it covered with foil most of the time). I used the Duncan Hines mix you recommended. And this is embarrassing but I used a Pillsbury premade crust and baked it in the tin foil pan it comes with. I’ll give it another try and make sure to cook it longer. Thank you so much!
Anna
Hi Amy! Sounds like it may have been under-cooked. What kind of pie pan did you use? Did you use a thick ceramic one like an Emile Henry? I’ve found I’ve had to add at least 10 minutes whenever I use that pan. What brand of brownie mix did you use? Also, was the brownie part runny or the cream cheese? It’s possible the brand of brownie mix had something to do with it. The Duncan Hines mix that I used worked perfectly, but it’s hard to say how other brands are formulated. If you get a chance, let me know if you made any changes so we can troubleshoot. Mine took 65 minutes. The original version is made with Pillsbury brand (15.8 oz) mix, but I wasn’t able to find that one.
amy
Hi Anna!
I made this pie last night. It tastes great and I would like to make it again, however it was really messy when I sliced it. I had it in the fridge overnight and when I sliced it (yes to try a little for breakfast!) it was really sticky and messy. Not nearly as pretty as yours is above. Should I have let it warm up a little? Thanks for any advice.
Katrina
This might be a big hit here with brownie and cheesecake lovers. And right now I have 40 oz. of cream cheese sitting in my fridge.
Sue
I’ve never seen this before so I’m glad you blogged about it. It looks easy, interesting, and tasty. I’m glad the lady in the grocery store shared an opinion and was nice.