no-bake cheesecake Archives - The Midnight Baker

Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 23:00:46 +0000

Lemon cookie cheesecake is a no-bake delight that will wow anyone who eats it.

Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

Since I love lemon anything, of course I just had to make this no-bake cheesecake.

It uses lemon sandwich cookies which I also love–but saved enough to make this!!!! I don’t buy the expensive kind either. I actually prefer the ones packed under the store brand. You know, the ones that are 2 pounds and CHEAP. If you prefer the brand name, then by all means. However I’ve actually found the inexpensive ones taste better.

Where I’m usually into quick and easy these days, I won’t lie to you; this particular cheesecake does take a bit of time to make. It uses more than one bowl too. But seriously, trust me on this one. It’s so good it’s worth the effort. I’ll give a hint about eliminating one step where you use a convenience ingredient, but it will lack a bit of rich taste.

Real Whipped Cream

Let’s say I prefer it. Even though it adds another bowl to wash and an extra step, it’s one I feel is worth it. Nothing beats the taste and the texture. Here, the cream doesn’t need to be stabilized because there’s going to be both cream cheese and gelatin folded in. Those are a couple of ways to stabilize whipped cream, but I’ve come to prefer instant clear jel for that purpose. Here, it’s not necessary.

If you’re pressed for time you can eliminate that step. Just use frozen whipped topping as a substitute. As the 2 cups of heavy cream yield approximately double the amount, you’ll need a large tub of the topping, so buy the large one, which I think is 16 ounces.

Pan Size

For this cake, I used a 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan. I like a nice high cheesecake so I filled it almost to the rim. I had filling left over but it was really easy to eat so…

But if you don’t mind a a less-thick cake with no leftover filling, you’d probably want to use the 9-inch (23 cm) pan.

The choice is yours.

The Recipe

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Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

An awesome no-bake cheesecake

Prep Time1

Cook Time0

Chill Time4

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon cheesecake, lemon sandwich cookie crust, no-bake lemon cheesecake

Servings: 12

Calories: 535kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Lemon Cookie Crust:

15 oz lemon sandwich cookies reserve 8 for topping
3 tbs melted butter
1 tbs sugar

Lemon Cheesecake Filling:

16 oz softened cream cheese
1 tbs lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 small box lemon gelatin about 3 oz
16 oz heavy cream
¼ cup confectioner's icing sugar

Topping

reserved lemon cookies

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cookie Crust

Pulse the lemon cookies in food processor, until crushed. Add melted butter and sugar. Pulse to mix. Press the crushed cookie mixture into the bottom of a 8 or 9-inch (see post body) springform pan and and partway up the sides. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes until crust is firm.

Lemon Cheesecake Filling

Beat cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar until well mixed. Set aside.
In another bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water to gelatin and stir to dissolve, then set aside to cool.
Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Take care not to go to far, to a butter stage.
Once gelatin has cooled and begun to thicken, fold it into the whipped cream and mix gently.
Then, fold in the cream cheese mixture until evenly blended. Fill crust with the cheesecake mixture, spreading to even out if necessary. Top with crumbled reserved cookies & dollops of lemon curd, freshly grated lemon zest or lemon slices. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until firm.

Video

Nutrition

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No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake Bars

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 23:00:31 +0000

This Oreo cheesecake is so easy to make that you just may make it every week!

Oreo Cheesecake Bars Are Easy Peasy

This has to be one of the easiest desserts I’ve ever made!

I have to say upfront that regular Oreo cookies are not my favorite cookie. That’s possibly un-American, but sadly it’s the truth. This is a dessert I’d never have thought of making ordinarily.

A request for something with Oreos came from a friend of mine who is also one of my official food testers, or as I call them, “victims.” I often treat Bill and his two employees to Friday lunch and these guys are real foodies, so their input on new recipes is of invaluable help to me. So I was delighted to make him something he specifically asked for.

Incidentally, I tried a small slice of this and it’s really delicious!! Remember, I don’t care for Oreos, but everything seems to work well in this recipe, and I really liked this!!

Yes You Can Make It Healthier!

Made as-is, this probably packs a hefty calorie punch, but with the right substitutions, the calories and the fat can be somewhat reduced.

The first substitution would be neufchatel (also known as “reduced-fat cream cheese”) for the regular variety. I can honestly say I cannot tell the difference between neufchatel and full-fat cream cheese. Now that’s something because I tend to dislike the flavors of foods that have been monkeyed with to reduce calories/fat. However, that’s not the case here. Actually neufchatel is a cheese of itself, and isn’t a reduced-fat/calorie concoction. It’s been available for years, too.

Next up is the whipped topping. Using the reduced-fat or fat-free variety will save additional calories and fat grams.

You can use Splenda too for the sugar. According to some commentary I read on this recipe, quite a number of people substituted the Splenda with excellent results.

Finally, if you can find them, Nabisco used to make reduced-fat Oreos. I don’t know if they still do. In fact, I haven’t seen them for ages, but bear in mind that I really wasn’t looking for them.

Want To Bake It?

You can do that too!

Probably the baked version will be a little lighter in texture because of the addition of one ingredient not in the no-bake version.

Directions for the baked version will be in the “Notes” section of the recipe card.

The Recipe

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No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake Bars

This Oreo cheesecake is so easy to make that you just may make it every week!

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dessert bars, no bake cheesecake, oreo cookies

Servings: 12

Calories: 552kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

CRUST

21 chocolate sandwich cookies like Oreo/Hydrox, finely crushed
1/4 cup butter melted

CHEESECAKE

4 packages 8 oz each softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz tub whipped topping
15 chocolate sandwich cookies coarsely chopped
Additional coarsely chopped chocolate sandwich cookies for garnish optional

Instructions

Mix finely crushed cookie crumbs with melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla; beat well.
Fold in whipped topping and coarsely chopped chocolate sandwich cookies.
Spread cream cheese mixture on top of crumbs.
Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
Top with additional coarsely chopped cookies if desired.

Notes

TO MAKE THE BAKED VERSION;

Make the crust as directed in the main recipe.

For the filling: Reduce the sugar to 3/4 cups. Add 1 cup sour cream and 4 eggs to the beaten cream cheese. Omit the whipped topping.

Pour cream cheese mixture on top of crumbs and bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees F.

Nutrition

*Adapted from Kraft

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White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 23:00:00 +0000

White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait

No one will ever guess how easy this whipped cheesecake dessert is! They’ll just ask for seconds.

Here’s another one of those easy peasy summer desserts that require no baking and little work.

But less work doesn’t mean it’s not powerfully delicious–this one is!

It’s important here to let the cream cheese get very soft. That way, it will blend nicely with the liquids and not be clumpy. Clumpy doesn’t detract from the taste, just the look, so if you get some lumps, the dessert will still work–don’t despair.

I used fresh strawberries in this one because I didn’t want the parfait to get too watery when it chilled. Frozen strawberries that are well drained on paper towels will work in a pinch, but it’s best to use fresh if you can.

I love this dessert because you get all the taste of a strawberry cheesecake with a lot less work and no oven!

If you can’t find white chocolate flavored instant pudding, you can substitute vanilla. I caution against using the cheesecake flavored one because to me, it just didn’t taste very good or much like cheesecake for that matter.

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White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait

No one will ever guess how easy this whipped cheesecake dessert is! They’ll just ask for seconds.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time2 10

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecake parfait, strawberry cheesecake

Servings: 4

Calories: 319kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese softened
1 pkg 4 servings size white chocolate flavored instant pudding
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh chopped strawberries
4 oz 1/2 regular-sized tub whipped topping

Instructions

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer in a large bowl.
Gradually add milk and beat until mixture is smooth. Add the pudding and beat for 1 minute.
Fold in the strawberries and whipped topping.
Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.

Nutrition

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No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

No-bake cheesecake bars that are so easy to make, the hardest part is waiting for them to chill!

Is there anyone on this planet who doesn’t love cheesecake?

Last year, I did a no-bake key lime cheesecake parfait and always wanted to try the same thing done as bars. Only thing that stopped me was how would this keep its shape with no egg to stabilize it–like it does with a baked variety.

Perfect dessert–so easy!

I remembered this old no-bake cheesecake recipe that was in an ancient Knox Gelatin cookbook–my mother made that once or twice, but the texture was a bit too much like jello for our taste. But I figured I’d try my cheesecake mixture with much less gelatin–just enough to hold it together, but not enough to make it like gelatin dessert.

The result was a huge success. You’d never know there was any gelatin in this at all! The texture is smooth and creamy, just like the baked variety!

Creamy and delicious No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Do It Gluten Free

This can also be made gluten free by substituting either gluten-free graham crackers or ANY gluten-free cookies for the crust. I’m not entirely sure if the cans of pie filling contain gluten, but making your own topping with fresh or frozen fruit and a gluten-free thickener is just one tiny extra step–and probably well worth it!

You can also safely use Neufchatel cheese instead of regular cream cheese if you want to reduce the fat a bit. I made the key lime parfait with it and could honestly tell no difference. Don’t know what results you’d get using a fat-free variety, only that I purchased it by mistake once (I hate the non-taste of it) and tried using it in my regular New York Cheesecake and the results were a clumped up and runny disaster. Personally, I don’t recommend it, but if you want to try–by all means.

The Recipe

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No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

No-bake cheesecake bars that are so easy to make, the hardest part is waiting for them to chill!

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE, cheesecake recipe

Servings: 9

Calories: 132kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 8 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 cup + 2 tbs confectioners sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tbs light cream or half & half
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1/2 tsp vanilla

CRUST

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 tbs butter melted

TOPPING

1 21 oz blueberry (or any flavor you like) pie filling

Instructions

Mix crust ingredients and press into a 9 x 9-inch pan. Set aside.
Place 1/2 cup of the cream in a microwave-safe container. Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the cream. Let sit for 5 minutes, then microwave at HI for about 30 seconds or until cream is very hot. Stir well to dissolve the gelatin.
Place softened cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla. NOTE: I found 1/4 cup + 2 tbs of confectioner's sugar was the right amount of sweet for me, but start out at 3 tbs or 1/4 cup and taste it, adding more if you need it--there's no raw eggs so you won't get sick tasting the filling!
Add the cream/gelatin mixture and the remaining 2 tbs of cream and beat until light, fluffy and smooth (the secret to the great texture). Pour filling over the crust and refrigerate until well chilled and set.
Spread desired amount of pie filling on top & cut into bars.
Yields 9 servings.

Nutrition

Just add coffee

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Key Lime Cheesecake Parfaits

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 28 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Key Lime Cheesecake Parfaits

Did you say Key Lime? Cheesecake? DIET FRIENDLY that even tastes GOOD???? Sign up here—>

I hit another sale–this time on cream cheese. This store was selling the 3 different varieties.

Frankly, I always preferred Neufchatel cheese even years ago–you know, before it became re-packaged as !!!!Reduced-Fat Cream Cheese!!!

That’s a misnomer, because it’s Neufchatel. Neufchatel is a different cheese. Yes, it’s LIKE cream cheese, but it’s a different cheese. It’s just naturally lower in fat. I find it a bit more tangy, but I kinda like that to be honest. And I don’t like paying MORE for a re-named product just because it’s termed “low fat.” Which is ironic that you pay MORE for getting LESS…LOL.

Anyway, I won’t go near non-fat cheeses. They are AWFUL. Enough said.

So if I want to make a trade off, I’ll use a lower-fat version. At least it tastes somewhat like the real thing–and mostly this goes for the lower-fat sour cream which is used here. As I said before, Neufchatel is a cheese in itself, not a low-fat product.

Anyhow, after going off on my above diatribe, I did want to do a cheesecake-type dessert that was summery and did not require any cooking. This was it. Plus I had some Key Lime pie filling that was taking up necessary space

You can just use regular cream cheese and regular sour cream here and ANY flavor fruit pie filling.

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Key Lime Cheesecake Parfaits

Did you say Key Lime? Cheesecake? DIET FRIENDLY that even tastes GOOD????

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time2 10

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecake parfait, key lime cheesecake

Servings: 4

Calories: 325kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 - 8 oz packages Neufchatel cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream at room temperature
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup key lime pie filling

Instructions

Beat Neufchatel cheese with electric mixer until it's nice and fluffy. Beat in sour cream and confectioner's sugar. You can taste it at this point to see if it's sweet enough for you--no danger like with regular cheesecake batters with raw egg. If you think it needs more sugar, add by 1 tbs. I found it sweet enough for me with 1/3 cup of sugar.
I tinted my key lime filling with one drop of green food coloring. Key lime is actually yellow LOL...I did this just for eye appeal and it's totally unnecessary.
Now get 4 small dessert dishes and start layering the cheesecake with the key lime filling, alternating and ending with the cheesecake filling.
Chill well before serving, about 1-2 hours.

Nutrition

Key Lime Cheesecake Parfaits

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