Cherry Cream Pie in a Jar |Cooking With Amanda

The one question that I'm most often asked about my career has nothing to do with my baking. It's "how do you stay so small?" Isn't that hilarious?

Honestly, I am not that small. I am decidedly average, but when one looks at the number of crazy treats I churn out of my kitchen (SEE: cream cheese brownie cupcakes, mint chocolate ice box cupcakes, and pink champagne cupcakes), they immediately decide I must be eating all of them.

That couldn't be further from the truth. Actually, baking so much probably keeps me small. I'm on my feet constantly, toting around a nearly 30 pound weight on my hip.

In some circles that qualifies as exercise, but any mom will tell you that it's just real life. Sadly, no one gives us credit for working out, but we do get to wear yoga pants a lot, so that's always a bonus.

Kitchens are warm, so there is a fair amount of sweating involved, and then there's the constant lifting of pans in and out of the oven. I mean, we are basically bodybuilders.

By the time I am finished thinking, developing, baking and photographing a recipe, I have usually smelled it, nibbled on it, looked at it and thought about it for so long that I am just kind of over it. Who wants a giant bowl full of it at that point? Not me.

Because of this, I can always judge how good a recipe is by how much I want to eat after I photograph it. And this recipe is a WIN.

Lucy and I both grabbed spoons and ate bite after bite of the filling – the tart cherries and the creamy texture is seriously the BEST combination ever. Don't feel like you can only make this pie in jars – to make a big pie, just press the filling into a 9 inch pie pan, bake at 375°F for about 7-8 minutes, until it smells nice and buttery. Let cool, then fill with pie filling and refrigerate (or freeze) until needed.

These are a fantastic little treat for any day of the week, and they'd be exceptionally cute for Valentine's Day dessert too!

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Cherry Cream Pie in a Jar Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Pie Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

For the Pie Filling:

21 ounces cherry pie filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

To make the Pie Crust:

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Set aside.
If making as a 9" pie, preheat oven to 375°F.
Press the filling into a 9 inch pie pan, bake for about 7-8 minutes, until it smells nice and buttery.
If making as individual parfaits, simply set aside until ready to layer in jars. No need to bake.

To Make the Pie Filling:

In the bowl of your mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth.
Add heavy cream and vanilla, beating on medium low until just combined, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
Increase speed to high and beat until thick – your beater should pull up stiff peaks when pulled out of the filling.
Gently fold in cherry pie filling – it does NOT need to be completely blended.
Place a spoonful of graham cracker mixture in each jar.
Top with a generous spoonful of pie filling. Repeat layers. Refrigerate until ready to serve.