Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Super Fabulous Summer No-Bake Cheesecake!



Today I'm sharing a truly fabulous recipe here on the blog, but first, let me congratulate my blog-sister Cleo Coyle on the release of ROAST MORTEM.


Today is release day, which is always cause for celebration!
And we here at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen do love to celebrate!
Roast Mortem is out right now. You can find it in bookstores everywhere!



Now... Cheesecake...



You won't believe how great this cheesecake is. Seriously.

I hear you: You're protesting, insisting that, no-bake cheesecakes aren't bad, but never as satisfying as the kind you get at a restaurant. I won't lie and tell you that I don't crave a classic cheesecake (Junior's, Cheesecake Factory, Eli's, etc.) from time to time, but I will tell you that baking one in the middle of
summer is not on my agenda. I'll bet it's not on yours either.


I was invited to dinner at a friend's house this past Saturday, with the only request that I bring dessert.

I put this cheesecake together that afternoon and pulled it out of the freezer just as we left the house. Nicely defrosted by dessert time, and best of all? It was delicious!

Six adults all sampled this and everyone raved. I brought home the meager leftovers and my kids went nuts for it. Creamy, rich, easy, and no-bake!

You ready? You're gonna love it!

No Bake Cheesecake a la Julie

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 cups pecan cookie crumbs (I pulverized the store-brand equivalent of Pecan Sandies in my food processor until finely ground)
10 Tbsp butter (1 stick plus 2 T), melted
3 Tbsp sugar for the crust
3 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese - room temperature
1/2 cup sugar for the filling
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
Fruit topping




Combine graham cracker and cookie crumbs with sugar. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture sticks together. Press into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator.



Combine the 3 packages of room-temperature cream cheese with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat until creamy.


In a separate bowl (I used a chilled metal bowl) whip the cream until soft peaks hold. Fold this cream into the cream cheese mixture. Mix well by hand. Don't use the mixer.



Spread into the prepared springform pan. Cover with fruit topping (I used raspberry preserves slightly warmed in the microwave for easier spreading). Once the topping is in place, cover with aluminum foil and freeze for at least an hour or two.

About an hour before serving, remove the springform side and move the cheesecake to the refrigerator. Should be just right by dessert time. Truly, truly, a fabulous dessert. Easy enough to make at home, pretty enough for company.

And... speaking of Cleo... can't you picture her strawberry or blueberry toppings here? Ooh.. I can!!

Have fun with this! Enjoy!

Julie

Author of GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, first in the Manor House Mystery series. At your favorite bookstore today!


17 comments:

  1. I really need to begin going to bed earlier or stop reading these posts before I finally sign off....I'm gaining weight just reading these recipes :-) In my little world cheese cake is a food group...and this recipe is going to be on plates here by dinner tonight!!! WOW...I'm going to try using shortbread cookies instead of graham crackers, what do you think? I'm not a big fan of graham cracker crust...but the Sandies type of crust sounds terrific!
    Thanks for sharing with my hips and me...and Congrats to Cleo!!!!

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  2. Congratulations Cleo on Roast Mortem!

    You can never go wrong with a good cheese cake :). Thank you for this recipe Julie I will be sure to try this one. You can have almost all your food groups in this baby :).

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  3. Who can resist cheesecake, not me. This sounds delicious and quick and easy. I'll have to give this a try.

    Congratulations to Cleo on the release of ROAST MORTEM. It's a great book, love the Coffeehouse Mystery Series!

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  4. I guarantee you will *love* this cheesecake. Very creamy, very easy. And Nanc - I considered using shortbread too. Maybe I will next time. Let me know how that goes. I bet it would be wonderful. The cookies in the crust add something special. I'm not crazy about plain graham cracker crusts so that's why I particularly like this one.

    Babs -- totally right! A health food! I think I should go have some for breakfast!

    Mason - very quick, very easy. And I really think adding the fruit on top gives it extra excitement. Hope you enjoy making *and* eating it!

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  5. Here's wishing you a wonderful launch day, Cleo!

    Nanc, I think it's so cute that cheesecake is a food group in your world. LOL!

    Cheesecake is just the ultimate creamy indulgence. Julie, this one sounds terrific!

    ~ Krista

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  6. Congrats, Cleo! I'm delighted for you!!!

    Julie, what a luscious looking cheesecake --
    definitely the way to celebrate a release!!!

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  7. Krista - it really is an indulgence, isn't it? The nice thing is that a small slice is usually just enough.

    Jenn - Welcome back!!

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  8. Julie Hyzy you rock!!!! Thank you for the amazing shout-out and what a GREAT recipe to share with us today. (I can't help but remember our little conversation about the amazing Junior's Cheesecake and I am so pleased to see a cheesecake below my book cover. Woot!!!)

    Cheers and thanks to you, Nancy, Babs, Mason, Krista, and Jenn! Thanks also to Avery and Elizabeth/Riley who have been so supportive, too!

    Book Release Party Day at MLK!!!

    CONTESTS AT COFFEEHOUSE MYSTERY SITE, HOP ON OVER, EVERYONE!

    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  9. Too bad I didn't have this recipe when I was in Florida. Now that we're in the cool mountains, I'm loving turning on the stove!

    My favorite no-bake dessert was (and is) Nanaimo bars. But there's no going wrong with cheesecake. My mom's recipe was the very first thing I learned to cook.

    Terry
    Terry's Place
    Romance with a Twist--of Mystery

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  10. Just what I need: Another delicious, high-calorie recipe. Thanks, Julie. (I did copy it and put it in my recipe file.)

    Molly

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  11. Cleo - Woo-hoo!! Enjoy your release day (and week, and month). I know there will be lots of happy readers out there today with their copies of ROAST MORTEM!!

    Terry - After all this heat I'm looking forward to cooler weather and turning my stove on, too. But for right now, no-bake works for me. Now tell me about Nanaimo bars...

    Msmystry - I know. HIgh cal. Not terribly high in carbs... well, except for the cookie crumbs... and the sugar... and the fruit topping. Yeah, I guess I can't get away with calling this one good for you, huh? LOL

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  12. Oh, Julie, great minds. I'm making a cheesecake for next week's blog, but it will be baked (it's mentioned in The Long Quiche Goodbye).

    In the meantime, yours looks scrumptious and simple!!! Yum. Double-yum.

    And Cleo, wahooo! Enjoy the coming weeks of readers telling you how much they love your book.

    ~Avery

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  13. Congratulations, Cleo! I can't wait to read my copy of "Roast Mortem!"

    And...cheesecake sounds like JUST the reward for me today--after cleaning out our garage, I need one! Thanks Julie!

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  14. Avery - great minds do think alike and you and I are often on the same page! But it's hard to ever go wrong with cheesecake!

    Elizabeth - ugh! We cleaned out our garage for the graduation party this year, so you have my sympathy! Cheesecake will make a great reward! Good job getting it done.

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  15. The shortbread cookies worked wonderfully for the crust!!!! Of course it didn't stay anywhere long enough in the freezer/fridge because I felt the strong need for "quality control"!!! It is a fabulous recipe, thanks :-) I did use fresh MI peaches on top...chunked, with a wee bit bit of almond flavoring, another wee bit of sweet white wine and simmered for about half an hour. It was quite delish..I'm certain my family would have enjoyed it but that whole quality control thing got the better of me!! My 2 friends and I think it passed the test!
    Hope you are reveling in your success today, Cleo..it is well deserved!
    nanc

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  16. Cleo, congratulations--and well done! I don't know how you do it--one really well-written book after another. You are amazing, and I am really enjoying Roast Mortem.

    Julie, this recipe is awesome! Perfect for summer, and completely decadent. Can't wait to wow some guests with it!

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  17. Nanc - so excited that you tried it already! Glad it worked well for you! I particularly like that "quality control" option. Always important!! I love the idea of peaches on top. Yum!! Thanks for letting us know!

    Laine - thanks! It is really great for summer. Just because it's hot doesn't mean we can't enjoy cheesecake, right?

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