Thursday, June 26, 2014

Ruthy's No-Bake Triple Berry Cheesecake

It all started with THIS:



I bought it for Father's Day and the family went a little bit crazy over the blueberry version... It was marvelous!!!!

But as I ate it, I noticed two things: First, it didn't have the normal cheesecake consistency, and second: the creaminess was unmatched by any baked cheesecake I've ever consumed or made... ergo:

UNBAKED.

Instantly my analytical mind went to "How To Best This Recipe????"

Well, okay, not instantly, after eating a lot of good stuff and deciding it was really, really SO STINKIN' GOOD!!!!!

Basically, we're looking at three steps:


  1. Cookie crust (or graham cracker, but I like the Vanilla Wafer version better)
  2. Cheese filling
  3. Fruit filling
  4. Whipped Cream Topping


I got out my favorite ceramic cheesecake/pie pan, nice deep dish that you'd spend $20 or more for at a specialty store and I got for $5.99 at Walmart....




Cookie Crust:

40 Vanilla Wafers, crushed completely
4 Tablespoons melted butter
6 Tablespoons sugar

Mix those thoroughly in bowl and then press FIRMLY into the bottom and slightly up the sides of your pie dish/cheesecake pan. Pushing firmly (and you can use the flat of a bowl or cup to help) makes the cookie crust stay together once baked. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool.



I used a rolling pin and a countertop to crush these bad boys, but if you want to wash a BLENDER or FOOD PROCESSOR, well... go for it!!!!

This is the consistency you want, "fine crumb".... and think of the arm-wallow-flab you tightened doing this by hand!!! GO YOU!!!!  :)

And here's the crust pressed into my pie pan, baked at 350 for about 8 minutes, and now cooling on those cute crocheted trivet thingies that I've had forever...



Cheese filling:

2 8 oz. packages Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 cup powdered sugar

Blend cream cheese and sour cream until really smooth. Add powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and then refrigerate until ready to layer pie.

TASTE TESTING IS CRUCIAL!!!!!




Whipped cream topping:
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar

Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.

Fruit filling/swirl:

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
Mix sugar and cornstarch together in 2 or 3 quart saucepan.



Mash together:
1/3 cup water
3 cups of triple berry blend, blueberries, strawberries or raspberries, your preference (if berries are frozen, mash them once they thaw.

Add berries and water to sugar mix and then heat over low heat until berries are thawed and smushed and the consistency thickens to a thin pie filling texture.

Cool fruit filling.  (I tucked it in the freezer because I was short on time, SHOCKER!!!! and that way it was cool enough about an hour or so later...)

Spread cooled fruit filling onto amazingly delicious cookie crust. Then spread cheesy-deliciousness filling over the fruit filling.

Swirl the edges to give the "fruit and cream" ambiance we love... And then swirl the whipped cream on top and freeze until firm.



OH MY STARS, THIS IS THE BEST CHEESECAKE/PIE EVER!!!!!



It's like having cheesecake ice cream, and it is MARVELOUS.



I kid you not, and you know I love to kid you!!!!!



And did you know that princesses LOVE cheesecake?????


Of course they do!!!!


This was totally considered a kitchen SUCCESS!!!!!

21 comments:

  1. man I have a Cheesecake Factory down the highway - the only thing keeping me out is the traffic in that area and the prices! and as a chocolate lover I suprised myself by ordering the blueberry one and it was awesome! even my friend who tried a bit said it tasted more like cheesecake than the cookie/candy ones they had ordered.
    all the pics aren't showing up for me but that's not unusal on this work computer! probably a good thing they're not LOL!
    Susanna

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    1. Blogger ate my first reply, bad blogger!!!!! Susanna.... darling.... don't worry about pics, just make it and revel in the deliciousness because this is So Worth It as to be Unimaginable. :)

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    2. well I'm home now and getting the pics!
      Susanna

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  2. Wiping the drool off my keyboard. Sigh. I've been fighting a craving for cheesecake for a while now. I mean, who needs the expense? The calories? I have been a mighty wall of resistance...until now. Gah! I see a visit to the grocery store in my future. It's going to be hot and muggy for the next week or so and I could go for cheesecake ice cream to keep me cool. Purely for medicinal purposes of course. :-)

    And shocker -- I didn't know you could freeze whipped cream! Why didn't I know that?

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    1. KAV!!!! IT IS SO AMAZING!!!!!!! And we freeze the whole thing (just like Cheesecake Factory) and then thaw individual pieces. So you can't just eat the whole thing, NOM< NOM< NOM!!!! Well, you could, but you'd have to thaw more, so you have time to reconsider your actions, LOL!

      I'm going to play with other recipes coming up with this no-bake idea, and there was nothing artificial in our way of making this, so the consistency and flavor was unfettered by additives. Seriously, I can rave about this because it was that wonderful and worthy to share!

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  3. I can only thank the good Lord. (Thanks, Big Guy) that I don't have any cream cheese in the house. It looks evil. I am weak.

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    1. ...i have cream cheese in the house...this may be a dangerous thing....

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    2. Anyone else here think Ruthy lives to torture us?

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    3. Give in to the temptation, ladies. Seriously. So worth it!!!!

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  4. YUMMO!!! Oh, that creaminess swirled with the fruit looks amazing. I'll have to try it!!!

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    1. I'm so serious about this because I wouldn't have thought about just not baking a cheesecake.... but really, it's perfect. Think cream cheese frosting only better, with fruit. And cookies. How much better could life possibly get????

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  5. Let us all bow to Ruthy and this queen of pies. YUM.

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    1. No bows.... BUT, you should put this on your next party to-do list. I promise you will love it. Consider the fruit my healthy-gift to you!

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  6. Oh, yes... it sounds like the queen of pies! It sounds especially tempting when yesterday's temperature here was 29o Celsius and today is heading in the same direction. I might have to make TWO so there will be one waiting in hiding for the next time company drops in and it's too warm to bake dessert. :)

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    1. Carol you are brilliant!!!! An extra one in the freezer, I'm so happy at the thought of that!!!! Oh, happy day, TWO!!!!! I love you!

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  7. I'm trying this. I know I can make it without sugar, right?

    Hmmm, use Truvia in the whipped cream...use fresh berries instead of that fantastic fruit swirl...leave out the crust....

    I just have to try it! I'll let you all know how it turned out :)

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    1. Blogger ate another reply!!! OH, THAT BLOGGER!!!!! Sure that would work. No crust, less carbs. And the truvia replacing the sugar. I'd still probably thicken and cook the berries slightly though, with the artificial sweetener just because the pie filling consistency made me happy. Not too thick, not too thin, and berries get juicy and I think the cream cheese/sour cream filling would get runny then. See what you think!

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  8. Jan, I was just thinking that this might be something I'd go for despite the sugar. But if you rework it, send me the recipe, please.

    Ruthy, this looks to-die-for. And I'm about to. I mean Y.U.M.

    Nuf said.

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    1. Well, it is, for certain. It was just one of those light bulb moments when I ate their version and thought.... Holy Cannoli, A new take on an old cake!!!! YES!!!!!

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  9. Think the blogger ate my 1st message. Sad to say that all the enticing recipes call for sour cream and/or cream cheese. Can't have either. Sigh.

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