Easy Huckleberry Cheesecake

This Easy Huckleberry Cheesecake is a heart winner! The crust alone is sensational – rich, buttery, chunks of toasted crumbs and nuts. Then you fill it up with this amazing fluffy cheesecake filling that takes just minutes to make! Top the entire creation off with a good layer of sweet, fresh huckleberry topping and you have something amazing!

Prep Time 10 minutes 

Cook Time 10 minutes 

Chilling Time 3 hours 

Servings 6

Ingredients

Huckleberry Topping

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups huckleberries fresh or frozen (can substitute blueberries)
• 1 Tbsp. salted butter

Butter Crunch Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans finely chopped
• 1/2 cup salted butter softened

Cheesecake Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice depends on personal taste
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

To prepare the topping:

• Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in cold water until smooth; add berries and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the berries down to a simmer and cook, stirring for 2 minutes while the mixture thickens slightly. (It will thicken more after it has cooled.) Put the mixture in the refrigerator to cool fully before topping the pie.

To prepare the crust:

• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and nuts. Use a fork or your fingers to mash in very soft butter until the mixture is combined.
• Spread the crumb mixture out about ½” thick on the middle of a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, stir with a spatula, and bake an additional 5 minutes. Crumbs will be soft and becoming toasted a golden brown.
• Remove from oven. While mixture is still hot, use a fork to press into a 9-in. pie plate forming a pie shell. Start by pressing the crumb mixture to the sides. When the sides are done press the remaining mixture to the bottom of the pie plate. Cool in the refrigerator.

To prepare the cheesecake filling:

• In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat very soft cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and 1 tsp. of lemon juice until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the heavy cream. Once the cream is incorporated beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is somewhat fluffy. Taste and add the additional tsp. of lemon juice if desired.
• Spoon the filling into the cooled crust and refrigerate until the topping is cool enough to use. Spoon the topping over the pie.
• Garnish with whipped cream and sprigs of mint if desired.

Credit to: mirlandraskitchen