For the hot summer months, I wanted to create a delicious, no bake dessert that could cure any sweet craving. This recipe comes together, as the name suggests, without the use of an oven and in less than 30 minutes. All you need is some patience to let it set in the fridge and a quick freeze before you're ready to slice and enjoy!
I do highly recommend using a stand or hand mixer for this recipe. Because we aren't baking, the texture is completely reliant on the air whipped into the cream at the start and you'll get the best result with the power of a mixer.
Aside from your mixer, you won't need any special equipment. You can use a food processor for your Oreo crust but I found that a large plastic bag and a heavy pan or rolling pin did the trick to crush my cookies. And the Oreo cookies you use in the mixture should be broken up by hand or roughly chopped.
I recommend that you leave your bars in the fridge, covered overnight. You might be asking if it's necessary for the bars to sit in the fridge overnight before enjoying. Though you could speed this process up a bit in the freezer to get the bars firm enough to slice, the time in the fridge helps to soften the Oreo cookies which I think makes the bars even better. After you let your bars sit in the fridge to set, place them in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour to help get clean slices.
If you need to speed the process up a bit, you can chill the bars for just a few hours and then place into the freezer for an hour or two, but an overnight chill and an hour freeze will work best. Once sliced, you can store your bars in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or you can freeze them (my personal preference) to elongate their shelf life and to enjoy at a later date. I simply kept mine in the freezer, and it's almost like having a single serve ice cream treat!
I used two 4 ounce Ghirardelli white chocolate bars and Oreo brand cookies for this recipe (though I switched to Whole Foods brand cookies for my second and final round because that's what I had access to). For those who need it, I based the carb details off of Ghirardelli chocolate and Oreo brand cookies, and I've included a breakdown of this all at the end so you can adjust in case you use any different brand of chocolate or cookies.
Ingredients:
Oreo crust
20 crushed Oreos
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Cheesecake filling
16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar 90g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup (8 oz) chopped white chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
10 Oreos, broken up by hand or roughly chopped
Prep time: Under 30 minutes
Chill time: Overnight (at least 4-6 hours)
Freeze time: 30 minutes to an hour
Equipment:
9x9 square pan (or 8x8)
Stand mixer with whisk attachment (or hand mixer)
Spatula
Parchment paper
Large plastic bag (or food processor for cookie crust)
Cooking instructions:
If you haven't already, remove your cream cheese from the fridge for later.
First, make your Oreo crust. Place 20 Oreos into a plastic bag and use a rolling pin, back of a pan, or any heavy tool to crush them. Do this in a few rounds to get the cookie pieces as small as you can, but know that it doesn’t need to be a powder. If you have a food processor, you can also use that if you prefer.
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium sized bowl. Add in your crushed Oreos and salt and use a spoon or spatula to combine and bind the butter with your dry ingredients. Continue to mix until your Oreos have darkened and the mixture is coming together when you press down with your spoon or spatula.
Line a 9x9in square pan (or you can use an 8x8 pan if that's what you have) with parchment paper on all sides. Pour your crust mixture into your lined pan and use the back of a spoon or a flat tool to press the Oreo crust down evenly. You can also use the flat surface of a small bowl or measuring cup to help here. Place your pan into the freezer.
Make your cheesecake filling. Melt your white chocolate in a medium bowl in 15-20 second increments in the microwave, stirring between each time, and set aside to cool slightly once smooth.
Into your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add heavy cream straight from the fridge. Turn your mixer up slowly to its highest speed until you reach soft peaks.
To your stand mixer, add in your powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix on a medium to high speed for another 30 seconds.
Into your slightly cooled, melted white chocolate, add your room temperature cream cheese. Use a spoon or spatula to mix the two together. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth at this point. Then, add your cream cheese and white chocolate into your stand mixer. Turn the mixer back up to a medium speed and mix until fully combined, about a minute or two, pausing halfway through to scrape down the sides of your mixer.
Hand crush or roughly chop 8 of your remaining Oreos and add them into your cheesecake mixture. Use a spatula or large spoon to fold the Oreo cookies into your mixture until evenly dispersed.
Finish your cheesecake bars. Grab your crust from the freezer, and dollop your mixture into your prepared crust. Use a spoon or flat tool to spread your mixture evenly, making sure to reach into the corners. Get your two remaining Oreos and crush them across the top of your smoothed mixture and gently press them into the top of your bars.
Cover your finished bars with plastic wrap and place them into the fridge to chill. I highly recommend doing this overnight, but at a minimum give it 4 hours. About 30 minutes to an hour before you're ready to slice, place the pan into the freezer. Cut into 16 squares (or 9 large squares and then cut each in half diagonally to create 18 triangles) with a sharp knife and enjoy!
Once your cheesecake bars are done, you can store them in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days in an airtight container. Personally I like storing them in the freezer to enjoy any time. I think they taste great just out of the freezer, but if you give them about 10 minutes at room temperature before enjoying they'll have a softer, creamier texture - like cheesecake!
Carb and serving info: Carbs per serving (1 of 16): 37 Carbs per serving (1 of 18): 33 Carbs for full recipe: 598 Carbs from white chocolate: 216 Carbs from Oreos: 270
Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.