Blueberry Yogurt Pie

When I made this for my family I told them it was blueberry cheesecake pie, because that's exactly what it tastes like. But my secret was: the filling is mostly vanilla Greek yogurt. They loved it, and my dad does not enjoy yogurt at all.

This pie is healthy enough I'd happily eat it for breakfast, not just dessert. I was inspired to come up with this recipe after seeing them make bars with this filling on The Chew, I thought to myself, that would make a great pie, and it does! While I have no issues digging into my usual, not-as-healthy pies, this tastes just as great and comes together quickly. 

An incredibly simple filling of vanilla Greek yogurt mixed with an egg, cinnamon, cornstarch, and some sugar really give that classic cheesecake tasting filling, mixed with tart blueberries to offset the sweet. They made an oat crust on the show, but some online commenters didn't like it, so I used an oat crust recipe from Cook's Country that adds some nice crunch and heartiness to complement the creamy filling. 

This pie is so easy to put together the hardest part is waiting for it to chill and set before digging in. You could easily change the blueberries to blackberries or raspberries. If you don't have vanilla Greek yogurt, you can use plain Greek yogurt, and add 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract to get the same flavor. Might even be fun to use other Greek yogurt flavors. In fact, since many use canning jars to take yogurt parfaits to work or school, you could bake these in jars for a little more decadent midday snack. 

I hope you'll treat yourself and your family to this delicious pie soon, even if you have to call it cheesecake pie like I did, enjoy! 

Serves 8

Filling recipe adapted from "The Chew" Blueberry Delight http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/blueberry-delight-national-dairy-council-fuel-up-to-play-60
Crust recipe adapted from Cook's Country Matrimonial Bars recipe Feb./March 2014

Step 1: Gather Ingredients

You'll need:

For the crust:
1/2 cup (2.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup (3 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats

For the filling:
1 quart (4 cups) vanilla Greek yogurt, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar 
1 egg, room temperature
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups blueberries; fresh or frozen
Flour; as needed, if using frozen blueberries

Step 2: Prepare Crust

Preheat oven to 350 F. (I also preheat a baking sheet on the middle rack because I bake my pies on baking sheets to catch any spills.) 

Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray. 

Pulse flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in food processor until combined, about 5 pulses. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand, about 15 pulses. Add oats and pulse once or twice to combine.

Pat crust into bottom and up the sides of pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. The crust will puff due to the baking soda, pat it back down with a spoon, put pie plate on cooling rack and the baking sheet back in the oven. 

Step 3: Prepare Filling, Bake, and Enjoy

If using frozen blueberries, toss in flour (I used about 1 Tbsp.) until lightly coated; discard excess flour.

In a large bowl, whisk egg, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Add 1 quart yogurt and 1/2 cup sugar; stir until blended. Gently fold blueberries into batter; pour evenly over crust.

Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the filling is browning too much before the filling is set, you can cover it with nonstick foil, or spray regular foil with nonstick spray, nonstick side down, when finished the center will still be slightly jiggly.)

Cool at room temperature 30 minutes, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.

Pie can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator up to 2 days.