No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

A couple of days before Father’s Day I handed BeeBop my copy of Hershey’s Classic Recipes and told him to pick out anything in it that he’d like for his special Father’s Day treat. What he chose was this classic no-bake cheesecake. And, although the title says it’s no-bake, you do actually bake the crust but not the filling. But don’t let that keep you from trying this one. The short baking time for the crust doesn’t heat up the kitchen too badly on these hot, hot summer days.

The original recipe says that it makes 8 servings. I think you could easily get 12 from this. It’s nice and rich and a small slice really goes a long way.

For the crust:
1 cup slivered almonds, finely chopped
¾ cup vanilla wafer crumbs
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup melted butter or margarine 

For the cheesecake:
8 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate broken into pieces
3-3oz packages cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup cold whipping cream

Prepare the crust:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a food processor, pulse the almonds a few times until they are chopped but not too finely. I like to leave them coarse for a little extra crunch and texture in the crust. Do the same with the vanilla wafers.

Stir together chopped almonds, vanilla wafer crumbs and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour melted butter or margarine over crumb mixture; blend well.

Press mixture onto bottom and ½-inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

Make the cheesecake filling:

Place chocolate in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each until chocolate is nearly melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

 

Beat cream cheese, sugar, butter and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add melted chocolate; beat on low speed of electric mixer.

Beat whipping cream in small bowl until stiff; fold into chocolate mixture.

Pour mixture into prepared crust. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

Enjoy!

Download a printable copy here.

Recipe from Hershey’s Classic Recipes © Hershey Foods Corporation

Tagged as: cheesecake, chocolate, cooking, cream cheese, dessert, Food, recipes, whipped cream