PINEAPPLE SPECTACULAR PIE

So you know how you sometimes see those vintage recipes that are totally gross and you wonder how the heck a generation of people ate them (- and seemingly willingly!)? This isn’t one of those recipes. Pineapple spectacular pie is a knockout recipe from at least 40-50 years ago and let us tell you, they were really onto something! With a graham cracker crust – that you can make or buy, your choice – tangy cream cheese filling that isn’t overly sweet, and then a bright, lemony pineapple, jewel-toned top layer…this pie truly is spectacular.

Pineapple Spectacular Pie 6 If the look of this pie didn’t completely stop you in your tracks, let us keep persuading you. If you choose to go the-store-bought-crust route, which really makes the process of making this a breeze, then you’ll have your pie ready and setting up in the fridge within 30 minutes. And did we mention there’s only five ingredients apart from the crust? Gotta love a recipe where you’ve already got most of the ingredients on hand! And even if you do decide to make your graham cracker crust, it’ll only tack on an extra 15 minutes, so you can definitely do this either way and still get that (almost) immediate gratification. Pineapple Spectacular Pie 4
Pineapple Spectacular Pie 3 You may have noticed there’s no added sugar other than what’s already in the jello mix – we really like giving this dessert a good balance between the sweetness of the pineapple and the zesty lemon jello and the tangy cream cheese. This is NOT an overly sweet dessert, even though the way it looks might make you think it is…it tastes amazing and looks downright incredible, so what are you waiting for – try it out!

INGREDIENTS:

1 graham cracker crust, store-bought
Filling:
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained, juices reserved
Water, as needed (water w/ reserved pineapple juices should make 1 cup)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 (3.4) oz. package lemon or pineapple jello

PREPARATION:

Place reserved pineapple juices in a measuring cup, then add enough water to make 1 cup liquid.
Bring to a boil in a small or medium saucepan, then whisk in lemon jello mix.
Place room temperature cream cheese in a medium bowl, then beat in 1/2 lemon jello.
Beat until smooth and fully incorporated, then spread cream cheese mixture over cooled graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for at least 15-20 minutes, or until set.
Arrange pineapple chunks on top of cream cheese layer, then pour remaining lemon jello on top.
Return to refrigerator and chill until set.