No-Fear Pie Crust

This “pat-in-the-pan” pie crust really gives you tender, flakey, and well flavored pastry. I swear.
2 oz (4 tablespoons) softened cream cheese
8 tablespoons softened butter
1 ¼ cups flour (all purpose)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Whisk flour, salt, and sugar together in a small bowl. Whip butter and cream cheese together in a mixer. Add flour mixture all at once and blend on med-low speed until dough looks like corn meal. Turn to med-high and blend until dough comes together.
Reserve 3 tablespoons of dough. Put dough ball in the middle of the pan. Pat dough into pie pan, which has been sprayed with vegetable spray, using the heel of your hand and fingertips. Push the dough up the sides as you work from the middle outwards. Try to get the dough as even as possible, so that the dough bakes evenly.
Take the reserved dough and piece into 3 parts. Roll each part into a rope with your hands. Put each rope around the edge of the pie and crimp to make a fluted edge by using two fingers to brace the dough and using your thumb from the other hand to push gently. Push the ridge in with one finger from one hand and pinch with the two fingers to give a triangle pattern all around the pie. Rotate the pie as you go. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 45 minutes.
Prick the dough all around with a fork. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes if you are using a no-cook filling. (There is no need to weight down the crust with beans) Bake as usual for pies with a baked filling.
Recipe from Cooks Country