These Strawberry Cheesecake Hand Pies are super easy pie using store bought cheesecake filling, fresh berries, and white chocolate chips.
When I taught math, there was no day that I loved more than that of Pi Day.
March 14th (or 3 14…get it?).
Let’s face it, math can sometimes be a bit dry and from a teaching standpoint it can be very hard to motivate students to want to learn higher math.
When asked why we had to learn this “stuff” I usually replied, because “I had to and it seems only fair to make your life miserable as well”.
Which they all know I was teasing, kind of.
The real reason you learn math of course is money.
Most of the jobs that pay the best involve you getting a degree that uses higher math.
That tends to motivate students a little more. 🙂
I mean, even drug dealers (at least the good ones) should know the metric system. 😛
But Pi Day was the one teaching day a year I was sure the kids would have fun….yet educational at the same time.
Every year we would have team competition where they would earn points for each event, like a decathlon.
Nothing like eating a pie, but then having to solve the area of a circle problem that was at the bottom of the pie pan when you are done.
But what was more fun/torture was the bat spin.
The kids would place their head at the top of a bat, spin a few times, have to run over to a chalkboard set up outside (Phoenix has nice weather in March) and have to draw a circle and then get a ruler, figure out the diameter and then find the circumference.
For those that don’t know what happens when you put your head on a bat and go spin a few times…go get a bat and find out. 🙂
Seven years ago Pi Day meant something different, it became my wedding day.
I married someone who thought it would be great to get married at 3pm because on a 24 hour clock that meant that our wedding date and time would be 3.1415.
If you are a math nerd you get this.
If not you think we are dorks.
Which we are.
This year of course it goes back to being just a day about math.
Which will most likely be odd for me since I am not teaching or celebrating an anniversary.
In fact, all I will be doing in scorekeeping hockey. Festive.
To honor Pi Day I was actually going to make cake to be a pain in the butt.
But decided I wasn’t feeling all that rebellious and stuck with pie.
Strawberry Cheesecake Hand Pies.
This is super easy and totally Sandra Lee…but I don’t care, money is tight.
Is the cheesecake in a tub anywhere as good as real cheesecake…NO!
But it was on sale this week for $2.50 a tub.
Works for me.
This is just pie crust that is filled with cheesecake filling, white chocolate chips (leftover from the Brownie Treats), fresh strawberries, and crushed Graham Crackers (actually Teddy Grahams…again on sale).
Cheesecake in a hand pie works for me.
You can make these whatever size you want.
But if you do make them, come back and tell me what the area and circumference of your circle were and please do all you work in pencil. 😛
And oh yeah, it’s a great day to buy my cookbook.
Want More Pie Recipes?
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Apple Slice
Strawberry Cheesecake Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 2 packages refrigerated pie dough (or make your own)
- 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup crushed graham crackers (I used Teddy Grahams because I am mean and like to bite their heads off in a cannibalistic manner)
- 6 ounces (give or take the amount that goes in your mouth) premade Cheesecake filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Cut pie dough into circles. I used the top to the cheesecake filling tub to make mine. I got 6 circles. But I did have to gather the dough and roll it out to get the last two.
- Place one dough circle down on a greased baking sheet. Spread cheese cake filling, about 3 TBSP worth.
- Place about 5-8 strawberry slices onto cheesecake filling.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips and cracker crumbs.
- Place another pie dough circle on top. Crimp the edges with a fork.
- Cut top dough to vent.
- Depending on your size, bake 10-14 minutes.
- Let cool before serving at room temperature.
Kelsey says
My inner geek came out when I saw this. This looks scrumptious! And love the pi reference. 😉 may have to find some Pi tomorrow. 😉 hah
Amy says
I thought of you today while I was shopping for pie ingredients. I teach physics and we celebrate pi day (and Einstein’s birthday) with pie. It occurred to me that this might not be your best pi day ever. I hope you have a great time with your hockey team and that all your future pi days are great.
Barbara Bakes says
I’m planning a Pi post tomorrow. I love Pi Day too. Any excuse to eat pie.
Kristina @ spabettie says
I remember being excited about starting a blog so I could do nerdy posts like pi day. 🙂
I doubt mine will look as good as yours – this sounds fabulous!
Emily says
Looks delicious. We all need some easy but yummy recipes for last-minute things…like when the secretary e-mails at 4:45 that tomorrow is food day for the 8:30 a.m. team meeting. Erg!
Shoshanna says
To Peabody’s naysayers, I think they should shut their Pi-hole. 😛 haha
Costs a lot to bake, let alone host a site dedicated to baking. Hope you have a good pi day tomorrow! 🙂
Rosa says
That pie is awesome! Unfortunately, I never liked maths…. ;-P
Cheers,
Rosa
michelle says
Happy Pi Day! Hubby is a math teacher and this will be the 4th year we’ve celebrated Pi Day. We’re having simple blueberry pie, and mini key lime pies. We’re also having Pizza Pi, and Pi-Napple!! Lol!!
Lynn says
Hand Pi’s – love it! They look like a tasteful way to celebrate Pi Day.
Elizabeth says
Cheap and nerdy sounds good to me!
brilynn says
I knew I could count on you to make something for Pi Day!
Melissa says
In high school we always celebrated Pi day too! This looks great 🙂
Adam says
Hahaha, thanks for bringing back some fun memories of the “bat spin” during relay races. We were never lucky enough to get Pie on Pi day, granted I don’t ever remember knowing about Pi day until much later :). And on the subject of pies: if you were not a fan of the TV show Pushing Daisies you should be :). I think you’d appreciate the humour quite a bit — (the protagonist is always referred to as “The Pie Maker” by the narrator 🙂 )
Joanne says
I went to MIT so we celebrated pi day in full. Every year. This year, I admittedly am NOT celebrating because my hips can’t really take a pie…but i can drool over yours. Cheesecake pie. Now that’s something insane.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
That is so cute that you got married on pi day! I am a math nerd too so I can definitely appreciate that:-) This pie looks delicious!
Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes) says
That bat spin sounds like fun. As a fellow (former) math nerd, I love wedding time! And you guys get premade cheesecake filling too? Wow, we’ve only just began finding cream cheese here aobut 2 years ago. Sure wish I was in America too!
Kristina says
Wow! I had no idea people celebrated Pi day! But if it means pie, I’m all in!
Mrs. L says
Cheap and nerdy works for me too! It also sounds doable for us “math and baking” fraidycats.
Nesya says
you should see this: http://www.epiclol.com/3-14-pi-pie-mind-blown/