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spoon the cooled strawberries onto the cooled graham cracker crust

Strawberry Love Pie with Sweet Whipped Ricotta


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  • Author: Stacey
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 portions 1x

Description

It's time for a day of love and if you've got a sweet tooth, you will adore my strawberry love pie with sweet whipped ricotta.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Ingredients for LARGER 10-INCH PIE

For the filling

  • 2 pounds fresh strawberries, plus 6-8 extra berries for the top (see note#1)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crust

  • 14 graham cracker sheets, ground (about 2 cups)
  • 1 stick of salted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the whipped ricotta

  • 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional toppings:

  • Candy hearts decoration for the top of the pie, optional
  • If no candy hearts, cut more strawberries and add to top
  • Red and pink sugar sprinkles

Ingredients for SMALLER 6-INCH PIE

For the filling

  • 1 pound fresh strawberries, plus 4 extra for top (see note #1)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crust

  • 8 graham cracker sheets, ground
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

For the whipped ricotta

  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional toppings:

  • Candy hearts decoration for the top of the pie, optional
  • If no candy hearts, cut more strawberries and add to top
  • Red and pink sugar sprinkles

 

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

* HEART SHAPED PAN NEEDED OR REGULAR 10-INCH or 6-INCH ROUND PIE PLATES CAN WORK TOO. 

* ELECTRIC HAND MIXER


Instructions

  1. Cut the green leafy part off the top of the strawberries, then cut the strawberries into quarters (4 small pieces each). 
  2. Transfer cut strawberries to a pot and add the sugar and vanilla extract. Stir to coat the strawberries in the sugar. Heat on low-to-medium heat – WITH THE LID ON – for 10-15 minutes stirring a few times in the process. The strawberries will be soft and cooked through with a lot of delicious juices. 
  3. While the strawberries are cooking, cut 6-8 additional strawberries to place on top of the cooked strawberries when we assemble the pie later. These you can just cut in half – not quarters. 
  4. Grind all the graham crackers in a food processor. If you don’t have one, put them in a bag and crush them with a pan or kitchen mallet. 
  5. Add ground up graham crackers to a large bowl and add the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Use spatula in beginning, then work the mixture with your hands. It should feel a little crumbly in the end – see video. 
  6. Transfer graham cracker mixture to a 10-inch heart shaped pan or regular pie plate and spread out evenly. You can press gently with a measuring cup around the center to flatten. Use your fingers to press a little more around the edges so the crust doesn’t fall apart when you cut it later. 
  7. Bake the crust in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until it’s slightly golden brown. 
  8. Check your cooked strawberries at the 15 minute mark and make sure they are cooked through and tender. Remove from heat and let cool completely – should take about an hour for this. 
  9. When the crust is cooked, set that aside to cool as well. 
  10. Time to make the whipped ricotta. Add ricotta to a large mixing bowl, then add the vanilla and granulated sugar. Mix on medium, then high speed with your hand mixer. Be sure to scrape down the sides a couple of times in the process.  In about a minute or two the ricotta will have a light and fluffy consistency. This is what we are looking for. 
  11. The whipped ricotta should be added to the pie right before serving. After you make it, transfer the ricotta to a container and store in the refrigerator. 
  12. Once your strawberries and crust are cooled down, add the cooked strawberries to the top of the pie. Two options here:
    1.  Add the strawberries to the crust while leaving a small border of the crust exposed – that’s what I did because I like that look. However, it is inevitable that strawberry juice will spill over and disturb the presentation. I don’t mind this at all. J Then add your additional uncooked strawberries to the top. Wrap in plastic and put in refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight. This is a chilled dessert. The crust border option isn’t possible with the 6-inch pie size – it’s too small for that.
    2.  Spread the strawberries across the entire pie covering all but a tiny sliver of the crust. Add the additional uncooked strawberries on top of that. Wrap in plastic and put in refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight. 
  13. When you are ready to serve the pie, it’s time to add the whipped ricotta and candy hearts. Spread the whipped ricotta over the top of the strawberries. 
  14. Once the ricotta is spread out you can decorate the top with tiny candy hearts like I did in the video, or red and pink sugar sprinkles or additional chopped strawberries. It’s your choice. 
  15. Use a spoon to scoop out your portions – it’s a bit messy, but delicious!!!

Notes

  1. For the larger 10-inch pie you will need the full two pounds of strawberries for the topping. In addition to the 2 pounds, you’ll need 6-8 additional strawberries to put on top of the cooked strawberries. I bought two one-pound containers, plus they had smaller containers as well so I bought a smaller container too. For the smaller 6-inch pie, you can pull four strawberries from the one pound container and you’ll have enough for everything.