Make the graham cracker crust. If starting with whole graham crackers, either pulse them in a food processor or smash them into crumbs with a rolling pin. (For the latter, put 3-4 graham crackers into a large freezer ziploc at a time and roll them with the pin until they’re fine crumbs.) Add sugar, melted butter, and salt and mix well with a fork.

Step 2

Pour crumbs into a 9” pie dish or baking pan and press down with a large tablespoon, your hands, or a drinking glass until flat on the bottom and well pressed together along the sides. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or you can bake the crust in a 325F oven for about 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let crust cool completely before filling.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients except powdered sugar. Mix well with a large spoon or a whisk. Sift sugar into the bowl and mix, starting very slowly so the sugar doesn’t poof up all over the place. Chill cheese mixture in it’s bowl in the refrigerator until the crust is ready.

Step 4

When ready to assemble, pour filling into the crust, smoothing the top with the back of a clean tablespoon. Chill for 2 hours before topping.

Step 5

Add toppings and enjoy!

Sifting the sugar into the bowl for the filling is to get rid of some of the lumps in the finished product. It is still somewhat lumpy due to the ricotta cheese, so if it doesn’t bother you, then by all means skip the sifting.