Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals. See more posts by Holly
Cream cheese frosting is made with basic ingredients you likely have on hand.
Make it ahead. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, or 2 months in the freezer.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese – Use any brand of full-fat cream cheese in the block form, not spreadable cream cheese in tubs. Reduced-fat cream cheese is not recommended as it can produce a runny frosting.
Butter – For baking and sweet recipes, I prefer to use unsalted sticks of butter and add a pinch of salt. If you do have salted butter, it will still work – skip the salt in the recipe.
Vanilla – Although it’s a bit pricey, real vanilla extract gives the best flavor. Imitation vanilla extract does work if it’s what you have on hand.
Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar, powdered sugar contains a little cornstarch to prevent caking and makes for a smooth frosting.
If you’re out of powdered sugar, you can make your own with granulated sugar. In a blender or food processor, blend a ratio of 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch on high until it is fluffy and powdered. Measure the sugar for your recipe after it is powdered.
Variations – Add or substitute lemon juice and zest for the vanilla to give your frosting more tang. For a runnier icing, add a few drops of water.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
This is an easy recipe that comes together in minutes!
Using a hand mixer, combine room-temperature cream cheese and butter, per the recipe below.
Mix in the vanilla and salt.
Add the sugar a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as you mix until fluffy. Do not over-mix.
Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Holly’s Tips
Use room temperature cream cheese and butter.
Freeze for up to 3 months in a zippered bag with the air pressed out. Thaw to room temperature before using.
To change the consistency for drizzling, add water, a few drops at a time, while mixing.
Our Favorite Frostings
These frosting recipes are perfect to top a cupcake, cookies or your favorite layered cake!
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This is the only lemon meringue pie recipe you’ll ever need!
A buttery homemade pie crust is filled with sweet-tart lemon curd, and all topped off with a fluffy toasted meringue.
It takes a little time, but this pie is a masterpiece and relatively easy to make!
Ingredients for Lemon Meringue Pie
Crust: This pastry uses cold butter for great flavor and a flaky pie crust. Of course, pre-made or frozen pie crusts or graham-cracker crusts can be used if time is short!
Sugar: Sweetens each layer of the pie, from the crust to the meringue topping.
Butter: Adds a smooth finish to the lemon filling.
Cornstarch: Thickens the lemon filling and helps keep the meringue from weeping.
Eggs: Separated into yolks for the filling and whites for the meringue, they add richness and structure.
Lemon juice and zest: Provide a bright, tangy flavor to the filling, making the pie zesty and refreshing.
Vanilla extract: Adds a hint of sweetness and depth to the meringue.
Zest – The key to zesting is to remove only the yellow part of the lemon skin, as the white pith underneath can be bitter. Use a zester, a microplane grater, or the finest side of a box grater. Typically, you’ll get about 1 tablespoon of zest from each lemon.
Juice – To get the most juice from your lemons, ensure they are at room temperature. If your lemon has been refrigerated, simply microwave it for about 15 seconds before juicing.
Place the lemon on the counter and, using the heel of your hand, roll it while applying pressure. Cut the lemon in half and use a reamer or a fork to squeeze and twist, releasing the juice.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie
For the Crust
Cut the chilled butter into the crust ingredients per the recipe below. Add a bit of cold water to form a dough. Roll out the crust, fit into a pie plate
Bake until light golden brown. Let cool.
For the Filling
Whisk the lemon curd ingredients (per the recipe below) in a saucepan over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
Pour lemon filling into the baked pie crust.
For the Meringue Topping
Cook cornstarch and water over medium heat until thick. Beat egg whites and sugar until glossy stiff peaks form.
Stir in the cornstarch mixture and top the pie.
Bake the Pie
Bake until the peaks on the meringue are light golden brown.
Cool the pie on a wire rack before chilling completely in the refrigerator.
Tips for Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie
Handle the pie crust as little as possible to prevent the heat from your hands from melting the butter and chill the dough before rolling it out. Poke the bottom of the crust with a fork to keep it from bubbling up.
When blind baking the crust, add a piece of parchment paper and fill it with dry beans or pie weights.
Use clean (oil-free) and dry beaters and a bowl when making meringue. Any amount of oil or egg yolk will keep the egg whites from getting fluffy.
Superfine sugar will dissolve faster in both the lemon filling and meringue.
Ensure the meringue touches the edges of the crust all of the way around or it may pull away from the crust.
If using pre-made lemon pie filling, heat it in the microwave before pouring it into the pie shell. The filling must be hot when the meringue is spread over the top.
Storing Lemon Meringue Pie
Keep leftover lemon meringue pie in the refrigerator for up to 2 days covered lightly in plastic wrap.
The pie crust can be baked up to a day early so it’s cooled enough for the filling. Double up on this pie crust recipe and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Lemon meringue pie can be frozen (technically, ANY pie can be frozen), but due to the corn starch in the filling and the nature of the meringue, it will not thaw well so it’s not recommended.
Lemon Love
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Lemon Meringue Pie
This Lemon Meringue Pie recipe is cool, creamy, and tangy with a perfect cloud of toasted meringue on top!
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Chill Time 8 hourshours
Total Time 8 hourshours50 minutesminutes
For the Crust
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in chilled butter until it reaches pea-sized chunks.
Gradually add in cold water, stirring each time until the dough can be pressed together. Form it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or freeze for 30 minutes until chilled.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Lightly flour the surface and use a rolling pin to roll a 12-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry.
Gently press into the pie plate and over the sides. Trim the edges and crimp as desired. Poke the bottom and the sides with the tines of a fork all over to help prevent puffing (or line pie crust with parchment and use pie weights if you have them).
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the pie crust is baked through and light golden brown. Set aside while you make the filling.
For the Filling
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, water, corn starch, egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Cook over medium to medium-high heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. It will be slightly thicker than pudding. This can take 10-15 minutes, but don’t rush it. Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in butter.
Pour hot filling into the pie crust, set aside and prepare the meringue.
For the Meringue
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and corn starch. Cook over medium heat until thickened and clear. Set aside but keep warm.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites, vanilla and salt until soft peaks form.
Gradually add in the sugar, beating until stiff glossy peaks form.
Gradually add in the warm corn starch mixture, beating constantly, until completely incorporated and meringue is light and fluffy and holds stiff peaks.
Spread meringue onto hot pie filling (it’s important that the filling is still hot!) and spread right to the edge of the pie crust. The meringue must touch the edges all the way around.
Bake at 375°F for 5-8 minutes or just until the tops of the meringue are light golden brown — don’t overbake.
Let rest on the counter on a wire rack for 1-2 hours, then refrigerate for 5-6 hours until chilled, or overnight.
Slice and serve.
Keep leftover lemon meringue pie covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. If using fresh lemons for juice; medium-sized lemons yield about 4 tablespoons of juice to equal ¼ cup (and 1 tablespoon of zest). When in doubt, get extra! The zest adds lots of lemon flavor so don’t skip this part!
Lemon Meringue Pie is best enjoyed shortly after preparing, but it does need to be refrigerated to set. I like to make this pie the day before, then chill overnight uncovered. It slices easily but is still fresh. Leftovers can be stored on the counter for a couple of hours, but will ultimately need to be refrigerated. Your pastry may not be quite as flaky the next day, but it will still be delicious!
Can you use store bought lemon pie filling?
If you’re in a pinch, you can use a store-bought lemon filling or even a store-bought refrigerated pie crust to save yourself some time. The important thing is that your filling is hot when your meringue goes on, which prevents weeping.
Is lemon meringue pie served warm or cold?
This pie can be served either at room temperature or chilled.
Blueberry Pie is a classic dessert that has been passed down for generations.
Sweet juicy blueberries are baked in a tender, flaky pie crust until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve blueberry pie a la mode with vanilla ice cream!
Crust for Blueberry Pie
Pastry – If time allows, a homemade pie pastry is great but it’s totally okay to use ready to bake pie crust (fresh or frozen) too. If you prefer a crumb topping, like in my easy apple crumb pie, you can replace the top crust with a crumb topping!
Baking – When baking a pie, the outer crust can brown faster than the rest. To over browning, use a pie shield or cover the edges with foil if they are browned before the rest of the pie.
Use Fresh or Frozen Berries
This blueberry pie recipe thickens much better with fresh blueberries. While fresh berries are preferable, they’re not always available (or can be very expensive) so frozen blueberries are a good substitute.
Frozen blueberries do not need to be thawed, cooking time will need to be increased by 15 to 20 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon of extra cornstarch to the blueberry mixture.
Frozen blueberries can sometimes release extra liquid making for a pie that can be a bit more runny. Be sure to allow at least 2 hours for the pie to cool after baking (longer is better). Once cooled completely and set, you can reheat the pie a little bit for serving.
How to make Blueberry Pie
Combine blueberry pie filling ingredients per the recipe below.
Line the pie plate with the bottom crust and fill with berry mixture.
Roll out the second pie crust and cut it into 1″ strips. Weave the strips over the pie to create a lattice crust.
Brush with milk, butter, or an egg wash for a glossy finish.
Cook until the pie filling begins to bubble and the crust is golden brown. Once the blueberry pie is perfectly done, be sure to allow time to cool and set.
More Blueberry Recipes
Blueberries are great in pies but they’re perfect for lots of other baked goods as well!
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Homemade Blueberry Pie
Tender flaky pie crust filled with a sweet lemon-kissed blueberry filling.
Prep Time 25 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Preheat oven to 400°F. Adjust a rack to the bottom of the oven.
In a small bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Add to blueberries and gently stir to combine.
Roll half of the pie dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the crust. Fill the crust with the blueberry mixture.
Top the pie with the remaining crust and cut 4 to 5 slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. If preferred, create a lattice crust by cutting the top crust into 1-inch strips and weaving them over the pie. Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar if desired.
Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drippings. Bake pie on the lowest shelf in the oven for about 45 to 55 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
Cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
If edges of crust start to brown too much, cover with foil or use a pie shield. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw first and add 1 tablespoon of additional cornstarch. Cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes if needed. Leftover blueberry pie can be stored at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days. To store, cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge.