The very first time I made this cheesecake, it was a big hit. Everyone in my family asked me to make this
dessert a part of all our special occasions. It is a no-bake recipe which makes it easy to make. Even easier, I use a
ready made graham cracker crust which cuts the time and
effort to make this winning recipe more than in half.
Ingredients:
Graham cracker crust (see instructions)
1 egg, scrambled
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1 ½ pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 ½ cups plain Greek style yogurt, not non-fat or lite
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
This recipe will fill one normal crust with some left over, or will nearly fill
a deep dish crust.
For the crust:
You may choose to make your own crust by mixing 1 ½ cups of fine
(crushed) graham cracker crumbs with ½ cup melted butter and ¼ cup
sugar and pack it evenly into a 9 inch spring-form pan. I use a ready made
crust, which helps me skip this extra work.
Pre-bake your crust, whether it is fresh or ready made, so that it will be
crisp and crunchy and not turn soggy when you pour in the filling. Take the
formed crust and give it a brush all over with the scrambled egg mixture.
Bake it in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes, but keep an good eye on
it so that it will brown a little and not burn. Your oven may be cooler or hotter than mine!
For the filling:
Combine the gelatin and 3 teaspoons of cold water in a small bowl that is heat proof. Wait a minute or two until
the gelatin softens, then gets stiff. Add another teaspoon of water or two if the gelatin will not soften. Heat a small
skillet with a ½ inch of water in it under low-medium heat. Place the smaller bowl with the gelatin into the water in the
small skillet and let the gelatin dissolve gently.
This is important: You should use an electric mixer for the next steps. A mixer will do the job very well, running at
its slowest speed for 5-10 minutes or more using the friction from the sugar to generate enough heat to blend all the
cream cheese well It is important to have the cream cheese well at room temperature or slightly heated in a
microwave. Otherwise it will be impossible to beat out the lumps of cream cheese that will form. I leave the cream
cheese warming next to my oven, hot from baking something else and this does the job nicely.
Combine the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and salt in a mixer or food processor until
it is smooth. Then while running the mixer, slowly drip in the dissolved gelatin so that it is not all added at once.
Pour the smooth filling mixture into the crust and pop it into your refrigerator. Chill, then serve. This delicious
cheesecake has a little snap from the Greek style yogurt and can keep chilled for a couple of days before serving.
Option: Melt a handful of baker’s chocolate squares in a double boiler, or a heatproof pot in a large skillet with a
½ inch of heated water and drizzle it over each slice of cheesecake when serving. Use the double boiler or the
pot/water in skillet method so that the chocolate is melted gently.
Greek Yogurt Cheesecake - No Bake!