Cheesecake Pie.

Last weekend I was in charge of bringing the birthday cake for a family birthday. When I asked the birthday boys what they'd like me to bring they said, "Something not as cakey." So I opted for cheesecake. The only problem with cheesecake is that you have to use a springform pan which can be a pain, and a lot of the time, no matter how hard I try and how many tricks I practice, my cheesecake cracks... which frustrates the heck out of this perfectionist. So I decided to make cheesecake in a pie pan... because for some reason that seemed to be the solution to all of my problems.

I found a recipe that super easy and super delicious. One of my friends said it was maybe the best cheesecake he had ever had (he may have been trying to butter me up a bit though...) So I have to share it with you! And guess what... it didn't crack! Hooray for that...

Hope you enjoy! (I took it from this recipe but simplified it even more... how about that!)

Cheesecake Pie

1 1/4 cups graham crackers crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (the recipe actually asked for lemon zest but I didn't have a lemon on hand so this worked just fine.)

In a bowl, melt butter in the microwave for about a minute then add the graham cracker crumbs. Firmly press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla and lemon juice (or zest) just until blended. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Remove from the oven. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour then refrigerate overnight.

(I served this with a caramel sauce that people could drizzle on top but a lot of people were content with just plain old cheesecake.)