No Bake Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake

It's no secret that cheesecake is my favorite dessert and it's what I always want as my birthday cake. And yes, I do usually make my own birthday cake because...well...I make really good cheesecake. If I absolutely, positively had to pick a favorite, it would be a tie between the classic New York steakhouse style with a cookie crust and strawberries on top and my mother's no-bake version.

I've been known to experiment with different cheesecake recipes, though, and since my birthday is this coming Friday, it was time to choose this year's cake. My mother's no-bake version was her own riff on the standard cream cheese and Cool Whip poured into a graham cracker crust creation we all know. She added a big dose of lemon juice which elevates the flavor about a million times. She also skipped the graham crackers and used French butter cookies instead. She'd make a pot of hot cocoa and dip the cookies into it before layering them into the pan. Then the top of the cake was dusted with a generous amount of grated milk chocolate.

The cake was so soft set that it was more like a pudding. You couldn't really cut slices out of it so we could never serve it to company. She'd just put the pan in the middle of the table and we'd all dig in with spoons. I asked her once if there was any way to make the cake more firm and she said yes, with unflavored gelatin. But she never did it and none of us complained.

But I wanted to share the cake this year so I went ahead and added the gelatin, which definitely works well. I also used the chocolate covered butter cookies which make the cookies firmer while still keeping the chocolate cheesecake flavor. It sliced beautifully and is perfect for serving to guests. Do I miss my mother's hot mess version? Yup, sure do. But there's room in the world for many versions of cheesecake. Enjoy!

Yield: 9 ServingsAuthor: Anita Schecter

No Bake Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake

prep time: 20 minscook time: total time: 20 mins

Recipe for a no-bake cheesecake with chocolate covered cookie layers.

ingredients:

1 Package (.25 oz.) unflavored gelatin

1/4 Cup cold water

27 Chocolate covered French butter cookies/tea biscuits

24 oz. Cream cheese (3 packages, 8 oz. each), at room temperature

1 Cup sugar

2 Cups whipped cream or prepared whipped topping (like Cool Whip)

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

instructions:

Stir the gelatin into the cold water and let stand for 1 minute. Microwave it for 30 seconds, stir again and let cool completely. Note that you can add the entire amount into the cheesecake mix and it will be perfectly firm and not alter the flavor but I like it slightly softer so I added about 2/3 of the cooled gelatin.

Line an 8" pan with one layer of the cookies.

Add the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice to a food processor and process until fully combined.

Add in the whipped cream or topping and pulse until combined. Add in the cooled gelatin and pulse until combined.

Pour half the batter over the cookies, add another layer of cookies on top and pour on the remaining batter. Top with the final layer of cookies and refrigerate for a few hours until firm. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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