Guest post from Brigette Shevy
This is my go-to favorite Valentine’s Day dessert!
You can serve it anytime of the year, of course, but the combination of rich cream cheese, smooth indulgent chocolate, and tangy red raspberries makes it absolutely perfect for this holiday.
This “cheesecake” is much less intimidating to make than a “real” cheesecake. No worries about it cracking or falling apart. It is super easy to put together, but it looks impressive and always wins rave reviews. Most importantly, it tastes amazing!
My family first discovered this recipe in October of 2000 (I called my mom, the Queen of Numbers, to ask about where this recipe came from – and she passed on that little tid-bit of information!) on the inside of a store-bought Keebler pie crust.
Since then, we have served it countless times (actually, my mom might know how many times… but I forgot to ask!) to probably hundreds of people. We’ve used it for banquets, dinner parties, and even our family Thanksgiving celebrations.
People LOVE it!
Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Pie
Makes ones 8-inch pie
INGREDIENTS for Cheesecake:
- 1 (8-inch) store-bought graham cracker crust – chocolate or regular*
- 1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries
- 6 ounces cream cheese
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
INGREDIENTS for Chocolate Glaze:
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I use 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
- ¼ cup whipping cream (or milk)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange raspberries on the bottom of the crust (if using frozen raspberries, do not thaw; if using fresh, make sure they are not wet).
Beat together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Beat in egg, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix well.
Carefully pour on top of the raspberries.
Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or just until set. Cool completely.
Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and whipping cream together over low heat, stirring often (I do this in the microwave).
Pour over the cheesecake. Chill several hours before serving.
*NOTE: If making your own graham cracker crust, keep in mind that this recipe is designed for an 8-inch pie pan (and many pie pans are 9-inch). If you use a 9-inch, you will probably have to adjust the cooking time (and obviously, the finished product will be slightly thinner).
What are your favorite Valentine’s Day desserts?
Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 5, 3 and 1). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
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{ 68 comments... read them below or add one }
Seriously, Crystal, your sister seems like the best cook! Keep the delicious recipes coming.
Wow, yum! Making this dairy-free would be a good challenge.
One of our most favorite, chocolaty dairy-free treats is pan smores. I got the recipe off of a box of Golden Grahams. Gotta love the recipes on the boxes, right?!
My husband requested these for New Year’s, Super Bowl, and I’m sure he’d eat them again for Valentine’s Day.
http://milkallergymom.blogspot.com/2010/12/dairy-free-smores.html
OOOhh! Thanks for the link. Gotta go check it out! My husband LOVES smores.
Just pinned it so I can have it handy to make for Valentine’s Day! Looks super yummy and easy!
Making my grocery list, just added raspberries and whipping cream to my list so I can make this tonight. Thanks for the great recipes.
seems so good but do I dare ask the caloric content? seems rich.
Well, I’m pretty sure this isn’t low-calorie. BUT, on a calorie-positive note, it makes a much smaller amount than a typical springform-pan-sized cheesecake. Depending on your family size, you might be able to polish off a whole pie (6-8 pieces) in one setting (if not, invite company
). At least you won’t have 10 more leftover slices that *have* to be eaten up (although this DOES taste really great the next day 
)
This sounds and looks AMAZING. Ohhhhhh yes
One of my favorite dessert recipes! It’s so good and super easy! It’s made appearances at many Valentine’s dinners in our house!
Ohhh my …….the baby in my belly says yummmmy too!
Wouldn’t want to deny that baby now, would you?
This will definitely live up to those pregnancy cravings!!
This looks and sounds amazing, yet pretty simple to make. I am going to make this for my family for Valentine’s day. Every year, my sons help me make a specail Valentine’s dinner, using all new recipes. It’s a lot of fun and it gets us trying new things.
Then we spread a blanket in front of the fire place, and have a cozy dinner in front of the warm fire., tasteing all the recipes.
That sounds like a really fun tradition! My kiddos would love that.
This looks really yummy, I think I may try this with strawberries. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I was thinking the same thing! if you have an Aldi nearby, strawberries are .99 this week.
Thanks for the tip!
Does anyone know how this turns out with strawberries rather than raspberries?
Let me know if you like it. It sounds yummy!
Well, I think even *I* can do this one!
Yes, you CAN!!!
Crystal, You should give your sister a regular spot (like at least weekly ) and time for her to share her recipes! I love her recipes and the passion and love that she speaks with of her recipes and the good family times that they represent! ALso, how about a picture of you two together! My sister and I are 13 months apart and are day/night different!
Yes, she’ll be sharing recipes every Friday.
Fantastic! Absolutely looking forward to it!
Does the lemon juice give it a citrus flavor? Could I substitute milk or does it need the lemon juice?
The lemon juice does not give it a citrus flavor. I think it just helps balance out the sweetness… maybe it even keeps the raspberries looking nice and red? (Not sure about that last one
). You could definitely try substituting, but I’ve never left the lemon juice out so I have no idea what it will taste like. 
Thanks!
I just made it for Valentines day. I didn’t taste the lemon juice at all but I did lower the recipe… I only put 2 Tablespoons instead of 3.
I actually only had 1 Tbsp lemon juice and I was able to squeeze one more Tbsp of orange juice out of this and it worked great. Just a thought. Oh also, the whole THING worked GREAT. Like, the best dang pie I’ve ever eaten in my whole 33 years of life.
Kellie, that sounds like a great substitution idea. The pie was fabulous! My husband told me the recipe is a keeper! (And then he added I was too.)
ha ha See? There are still some great guys in this world!
Ok, your comment made me smile.
Glad you liked it – and love your substitution idea!
This looks really nice!
I love seeing Brigette recipes! This is one will go on my short list of things to make.
Awww, thanks!
I hope you like it!
On this looks divine! I always get so excited when I see the recipe posts from Brigette…I’m blaming her for any extra weight gain this pregnancy. Only teasing, by the fifth baby I should’ve learned self control, right?
All I have to say is that if you are on your FIFTH pregnancy, you should be able to eat absolutely anything you want!! Definitely hero status in my book.
Nah, more like blessed beyond measure! God has been SO good to us!!
How funny! I have this *exact* same recipe from the Keebler crust! I, too, have made it more times than I care to count, and it’s always a winner. I may have to pull it out for an encore performance….
Yes, you should! It’s worthy of an encore.
8oz Cream Cheese
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c lemon juice
1 TBSP Vanilla
Beat until combined
Pour into a graham cracker pie shell
Chill 1 hour
Top with 1 can cherries or blueberries
This looks so delicious, and my favorite combination.
Those of you asking about calories, Keebler lists it on their website as 400 calories for 1/8 of the pie. I tried putting in a recipe calculator, but I couldn’t get the graham cracker in the data base. It breaks down to 21 g fat, 48 g carbohydrate, 8 g protein. If you made your pieces smaller than eighths you would of course have much more “reasonable” indulgence.
Thanks for this info!!
Brigette, is it really 6 oz of cream cheese, not a whole brick? I just was looking at Keebler’s recipe and realized why my calculator was so far off. Their recipe says 8 oz, not 6.
Interesting! The OLD recipe we use definitely says to use 2 packages (3 ounces each – the small packages – do they even sell those anymore??) cream cheese. The last time I made it I put in 7, because I had already used 1 ounce out of the brick for something else, and just wanted to use it up. Anyway, I know it tastes good with both 6 and 7 ounces, so 8 probably works too. Maybe Keebler has “updated” their recipe.
Guess this gives me a reason to make it again and do a taste test!
Couldn’t wait until Valentine’s Day. Made it tonight. Put it in the freezer to chill and just enjoyed a piece. LOVED it!
Yum! Glad you loved it!
This looks so good and easy! I think I will have to try this very soon! Thanks for the great looking recipe!
Very pretty!
Chocolate covered strawberries are still my favorite
I will most likely try making this for my husband for Valentine’s Day! Thanks for sharing it! It is just the two of us, but we will have plenty of left overs.
I’m so g;ad I grabbed a graham cracker crust and cream cheese when they went on sale recently! Can’t wait to make this one!
I am excited to try this! Bridgette, I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried it with a dark chocolate glaze rather than semi-sweet?
I haven’t, because my family prefers semi-sweet over dark. BUT, I personally LOVE dark chocolate and think it would work fabulously in this recipe!
I made this instead of cake for my birthday today. I can’t wait to have a slice!!
Happy Birthday! Hope this dessert makes your day extra special!!!
You’re right, Keebler has updated the recipe. The new version calls for one 8-oz package of cream cheese. The only other change is, surprisingly, 1/2 tsp instead of 1 tsp of vanilla. http://www.keebler.com/recipe-chocolate-raspberry-cheesecake-3024.aspx Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for the link. I tried to find it, but for some reason couldn’t. There are lots of versions out there, but this one was very easy. I am just hoping I didn’t wait too long to make it today with all the cooling and setting time still needed!
I’m totally making this!!
I wonder if this could be modified into cupcakes somehow?
I’d never thought of that, but I don’t see why not! I’d be very curious to know if you try it.
I made two pies instead because I have company coming, but next time I will try cupcakes and let you know how it comes out. I’m thinking it should work fine. Chocolate cookie on the bottom, foil cupcake liners. I bet it will be great. Even if its not, nothing lasts long around here!
Any idea how this would turn out with white chocolate? My husband loves Cheesecake Factory and their “white chocolate raspberry truffle” cheesecake
I haven’t tried it with white chocolate, but I would think it would work! Sounds yummy.
Yum! I love how easy this looks! Will be trying soon! Love your site!
Oh my goodness!!!!!! I made this super simple recipe last night for my Sweet boyfriend for Valentine’s day. I had extra batter and 3 of the one serving pie crusts on hand so I made those (for sample tasting to make sure it was scrumptious) along with the large pie. It was so easy peasy that even I could make it without any problems.
I cannot wait for my boyfriend to taste it today! I tried a sample this AM and it was probably one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever eaten.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with your readers… I’m not sharing it via Pintrest too.
Oops that was supposed to say NOW sharing it via Pintrest. Sorry…
I’m SO glad you like it!
It IS easy – that’s one of the things I love about it. Hope your boyfriend likes it too!
I can’t say enough good things about this recipe.
I made this for my husband on Valentine’s Day and it turned out so beautifully and tasted so amazing, he didn’t believe I made it! He claims he didn’t mean to insult me but just thought it looked like a dessert that would come from a bakery. I’m making two more this weekend, one of which is for a work birthday celebration.
I really love this recipe. It was quick to put together and is so delicious. And economical. We will be clearing a place on our holiday dessert lineup for it.
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