Sweet Cheesecake Recipes
Refrigerator Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 small box lemon Jell-O
- 1 cup boiling water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 90 wafers)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 (13 ounce) can evaporated milk, well chilled
- Finely chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Dissolve Jell-O in hot water; stir in lemon juice.
- Refrigerate until partially thickened.
- Meanwhile prepare crust by combining crumbs and melted butter. Pack mixture on bottom and up sides of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish forming a firm, even crust.
- Whip the evaporated milk until stiff; reserve. The secret to whipping evaporated milk is to have everything icy cold: milk, beaters, and bowl. Keep these in the refrigerator several hours or even overnight; do not remove until ready
to use. Then simply whip as you would whipping cream.
- In another bowl, whip together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy; reserve.
- Whip the partially thickened gelatin. Add gelatin to cream cheese mixture, blending well.
- Gently fold in stiffly whipped milk. Pour into crust.
- Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.
- Chill until firm.
Notes
You can vary this recipe by making Mini-Cheesecakes. Line standard-size muffin cups with foil liners. Drop a vanilla wafer into each liner, rounded side up. Then fill the cup with the cheesecake mixture. There are no crumbs to bother with - the wafer forms the crust. Allow two of these minis per person.
Or you can make Strawberry Cheesecake. Substitute strawberry gelatin for the lemon. Thaw 1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries and drain, reserving liquid. Add water to reserved liquid to equal 1 cup. Heat to boiling and proceed with recipe, omitting lemon juice. Fold drained strawberries into cheesecake mixture before pouring into crust. Garnish with perfect unhulled strawberries, halved.