Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake Recipe: A No-Bake Creamy Summer Dessert

Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake Recipe

There is a sound I still love, the jingle of the ice cream truck rolling down my street on a hot afternoon.

My favorite pick back then was always the strawberry shortcake bar, with its creamy center and the crunchy pink cookie bits that ended up all over my fingers.

This strawberry crunch cheesecake recipe promises to bring back lots of memories, and it does it all without turning on the oven.

Instead of a baked custard, you get a creamy cheesecake base layered with sweet strawberry flavor, sitting on a buttery cookie crust. The top is covered with a cookie crumble that gives you the same crunch as the ice cream bar.

It is simply one of my favorite things to eat in summer, and it is easy enough to make for a family dinner or a backyard party.

The whole thing takes about 30 minutes of hands on work. After that, the freezer and the refrigerator do the rest, which is exactly what I want on a warm day when nobody feels like standing near a stove.

Crust Ingredients:

For the base you only need two things:

• 1 lb vanilla cream cookies, about 34 cookies, divided
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Keep the divided note in mind, because 26 cookies go into the crust and the rest become the crunch on top.

Filling Ingredients:

The filling comes together from a handful of simple parts:

• 1 small box (3.3 oz) strawberry gelatin
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 bricks (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 10 strawberry wafer cookies, about 4 oz

Topping:

For the finishing swirl you will need:

• About half a small tub of whipped topping, thawed
• A pastry bag fitted with a star tip, the recipe notes a Wilton 1M

If you would rather keep it simple, a spoon works fine and nobody at the table will complain.

How To Make Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake

The method moves in three easy stages.

First you build the crust, then you layer the filling, and finally you chill the whole thing. There is no baking at any point, so the freezer and the refrigerator do most of the work for you.

Crust Directions:

Place 26 cookies into a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process again until the mixture looks crumbly, with a texture like wet sand. Press it evenly into the bottom of a greased 10 inch springform pan to create the crust. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Take your time pressing, because an even crust makes every slice look neat when you cut it.

Filling Directions:

Combine the boiling water and the gelatin and mix for 2 minutes until it dissolves completely. Set it aside to cool, but do not refrigerate it. The gelatin needs to be fully dissolved so the filling stays smooth instead of grainy.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Set that aside too.

In another bowl, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form, scraping down the bowl once. Stiff peaks simply mean the cream holds its shape when you lift the beaters.

Now divide the whipped cream in half. Place one half with the cream cheese mixture and the other half with the gelatin mixture. Beat the cream cheese side until smooth, then whisk the gelatin side until smooth as well. This is what gives you two distinct layers of color and flavor.

Pour half of the strawberry mixture over the frozen crust and freeze for 15 minutes. That short freeze keeps the strawberry layer from sliding when the next layer goes on. Remove it from the freezer, add the cream cheese mixture, and finish with the remaining strawberry mixture.

Next, coarsely crush the remaining vanilla cream cookies and the strawberry wafers. You can do this with a tart shaper, or place them into a sandwich bag, seal it, and crush with a rolling pin or a meat mallet.

A coarse crush is what you want here, with pieces big enough to feel. If you want a brighter pink, add a few drops of food coloring to the crushed cookies and mix.

Mix the cookies together and sprinkle them over the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until fully set. The crumbs will soften slightly as the cake sits, which is exactly how the ice cream bar topping behaves.

Before serving, top with whipped topping if you like. This recipe serves 12.

Tips And Variations

Golden Oreos work just as well as vanilla cream cookies, and they give the crust a slightly lighter color. I keep a box of each in the pantry, because this dessert shows up often in my house during the warm months.

For the best flavor, use heavy cream and fresh strawberries when you can. A few fresh berries over the top just before serving add a little tartness that balances the sweet filling.

Storage is simple. Place leftovers in an airtight container, or cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap, and keep it in the refrigerator. It holds up for up to four days.

A few serving ideas I come back to again and again:

• Set a slice on a plate with a scoop of cool vanilla ice cream and add extra crunchy topping right over the ice cream.
• Make extra crunch topping and keep it in a Ziploc bag so you always have some ready for the next batch.
• Scoop the cake into waffle cones for a nostalgic treat that tastes like the ice cream truck version.

One more thing I have learned: it is always best to let the cheesecake chill overnight if you have the time. The layers set firmer, the crust softens just enough, and slicing is much cleaner. If you are short on time, the 4 hour chill still works, but the texture improves the longer it rests.

If you enjoy this one, there are several more cheesecake ideas worth trying: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars, Cherry Cheesecake, Easy DIY Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, No Bake Cheesecake Oreo Bites, and Cherry Cheesecake Brownies.

Ingredients

If you like to work from a card, here is the whole recipe in one place.

Instructions

Here is the same method written in a shorter, card style format that is easy to follow at the counter.

1. Place 26 cookies into a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until crumbly, with a wet sand texture. Press evenly into the bottom of a greased 10 inch springform pan and freeze for 15 minutes.
2. Combine the boiling water and the gelatin and mix for 2 minutes until dissolved. Set aside to cool, and do not refrigerate.
3. Beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar in a separate bowl until smooth, then set aside.
4. Beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form, scraping down the bowl once.
5. Divide the whipped cream in half. Beat half into the cream cheese mixture until smooth, and whisk the other half into the gelatin mixture until smooth.
6. Pour half of the strawberry mixture over the crust and freeze for 15 minutes. Remove from the freezer, add the cream cheese mixture, and top with the remaining strawberry mixture.
7. Coarsely crush the remaining vanilla cream cookies and the strawberry wafers, using a tart shaper or a sealed sandwich bag with a rolling pin or a meat mallet. Add a few drops of food coloring if you want a pinker crunch, mix the cookies together, and sprinkle over the top.
8. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until ready to serve. Top with whipped topping before serving if you like.

The steps look long on paper, but most of the time is hands off waiting. I usually start this in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator until dinner. If you are planning ahead, give it the full 4 hours rather than rushing the set, because a firm chill is what makes clean slices.

Notes

This recipe serves 12. Nutrition per serving from the source is 919 calories, 58 g fat, 29 g saturated fat, 127 mg cholesterol, 580 mg sodium, 93 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 56 g sugar, and 11 g protein.

FAQs

Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake Recipe There is a sound I still love, the jingle of the ice cream truck rolling down my street on a hot afternoon. My favorite pick back then was always the strawberry shortcake bar, with its creamy center and the crunchy pink cookie bits that ended up all over my fingers.

• Total Time: 0 min
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Crust Ingredients:
1 lb vanilla cream cookies, about 34 cookies, divided
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:
1 small box strawberry gelatin, 3.3 oz
1 cup boiling water
2 bricks cream cheese, 8 oz each, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
10 strawberry wafer cookie strawberry wafer cookie, about 4 oz

Topping:
whipped topping, About half a small tub, thawed and placed into a pastry bag with a star tip

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Crust Directions:
1-Place 26 cookies into food processor and: Place 26 cookies into food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Add melted butter and process until crumbly and a wet sand-like texture. Press evenly into the bottom of a greased 10″ springform pan to create the crust. Freeze for 15 minutes.

Filling Directions:
2-Combine boiling water and gelatin and mix: Combine boiling water and gelatin and mix for 2 minutes until dissolved. Set aside to cool. Do not refrigerate.
3-In a separate bowl, beat together cream: In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Set aside.
4-In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream: In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form, scraping down the bowl once. Place half of the whipped cream mixture with the cream cheese and half with the gelatin. Beat cream cheese together until smooth and whisk gelatin together until smooth.
5-Pour half of the strawberry mixture on: Pour half of the strawberry mixture on the crust. Freeze for 15 minutes. Remove from the freezer and add the cream cheese mixture and top with remaining strawberry mixture.
6-Coarsely crush remaining vanilla cream cookies and: Coarsely crush remaining vanilla cream cookies and strawberry wafers. You can coarsely shop with a tart shaper or place into a sandwich bag, seal and crush with a rolling pin. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to the crushed cookies and mix to color. Mix cookies together and sprinkle on top. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until ready to serve.
7-Before serving, top with whipped topping if: Before serving, top with whipped topping if desired.

Last Step:

Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.

• Prep Time: 0 min
• Cook Time: 0 min
• Method: no_cook

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 919 calories
• Sugar: 56 grams sugar
• Sodium: 580 milligrams sodium
• Fat: 58 grams fat
• Saturated Fat: 29 grams saturated fat
• Carbohydrates: 93 grams carbohydrates
• Fiber: 2 grams fiber
• Protein: 11 grams protein
• Cholesterol: 127 milligrams cholesterol