Oh, man, I just made this dessert and it was extremely easy. The oven didn't need to be used because I cheatedwith a store-bought graham cracker crust. The pie filling came out of a jar of mine; it was cherry.
There are many recipes similar to this, but most call for frozen whipped topping like Cool Whip. I found a recipe that called for home whipped cream, so I went with it and I am glad I did.
Although this looks very rich, the tart sour-cherry pie filling balanced things nicely. It came out a lot lighter than I thought it would be.
Cherry Cream Cheese Freezer Pie
--1 large Graham Cracker Crust from the store (If you get the smaller crust, you should probably buy two.) OR use the Home-made Graham Cracker Crust below.
--1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, soft enough to whip, but still slightly cool
--1 c. powdered sugar
--1/2 pt. (8 ounces, 1 cup) heavy whipping cream, whipped until fluffy
--About 3 cups of your home preserved favorite pie filling OR 1 can commercial pie filling
Place a deep, narrow bowl and beaters/whisk in the fridge to chill to whip the cream.
Bring the cream cheese out to warm almost to room temperature.
Pour the cold whipping cream into the chilled bowl. Use the cold beaters or whisk to whip the cream just until stiff peaks start to form. Set aside in the fridge.
In another bowl beat cool (not cold) cream cheese and the powdered sugar until fluffy. Add whipped cream and mix well, and it should still be light looking.Scrape into the crust and spread evenly.
Evenly spread the pie filling over the cream cheese mixture then cover the pie and freeze overnight.
To serve, bring out of the freezer for about 20 minutes to soften slightly then slice into wedges and serve cold.
Store leftovers (if you have any) in the freezer for couple of days or for a day or two in the fridge.
Notes:
If you are using home-made pie filling and it is a little loose, strain your fruit somewhat before placing it on top of the pie. If you use commercial pie filling, you will not need to do this.
I made 1 quart of cherry filling using the recipe at https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/can_pie/cherry_filling.html . The filling was used freshly made and 2 extra cups of frozen sour pie cherries were added to the recipe.
Home-made Graham Cracker Crust
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. melted butter
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350º F.
Thoroughly mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and press evenly into a large pie pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or until lightly browned.