PLEASE NOTE: I’ve fine-tuned the recipe to prevent it from collapsing and to have better defined layers.
Okay, I’m late. Like real late. Mother’s Day was last Sunday and I’m now just posting my Mother’s Day dessert. I have a good excuse! You see, I last track of time and over-baked the dessert I planned to share last week. And while it tasted good, it didn’t look super pretty. So I explained to my Mom who was very understanding. I also decided to give her a choice between two desserts and she choose the Strawberry Cheesecake Lush. Another good decision by my Mom since it is impossible to over-bake a no-bake dessert.
But before I share that super delicious dessert with you, I’m going to talk about a few of the things that make my Mom super.
Mom Superpowers
Sure, all Moms have some superpowers, like the kind that knows when you’re thinking mischief. I have that superpower too. Granted, Max is always thinking mischief, whereas I only think about making mischief 25% of the time, although my Mom may feel differently. But those aren’t the superpowers I want to talk about today.
The Green Thumb Power
I am a plant serial killer, while my Mom’s thumb is so green that the Jolly Green Giant is envious. When I moved from Minneapolis to LA, I had quite a few house plants that I gave to my Mom because the moving company said they wouldn’t survive the move. Most were in okay condition (which means they were alive). I moved at the end of September and that Christmas when I came home to visit, I didn’t even recognize them. They were so big. So healthy. And so scared that I was going to take them back. 😀
The Stain Remover Power
I am the kind of gal who throws all her laundry in the wash and says a prayer, hoping for the best but expects the worst. My Mom apparently does some sort of voodoo dance to take stains out. Seriously. (Okay, she probably doesn’t do voodoo but maybe she has a magic wand. Or Tide). I will be 42 years old this summer and still bring stained clothes home for my Mom to wash. That’s right. I bring clothes 1500+ miles for my Mommy to wash. Shut. Up.
The Family Power
Our family is close-knot and steeped in tradition. This seemed very normal to me growing up. It wasn’t until I left home that I realized this was unfortunately not a reality for many people. I am so incredibly grateful and fortunate to be blessed with a supportive and loving family. My Mom hosts many family dinners and holiday celebrations, full of love, laughter and good food. We have family traditions, like Christmas Eve, that are sacred. I owe a blanket apology for the teen years and many thanks to my Mom for helping instill the love of family in me.
A Dessert Fit for a Super Mom
My Mom and I have a shared affection for strawberries. And living in California, I have access to the very best strawberries. This dessert is a great showcase for those juicy, sweet berries too. I also love that it’s a no-bake dessert, which is perfect as the days are getting warmer and I appreciate not needing to turn on the oven.
Strawberry Cheesecake Lush
Ingredients
- 1 package Golden Oreos (36 cookies)
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 (16-ounce) container Cool Whip, divided
- 2 packages (3.4 ounce each) instant cheesecake pudding mix
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 3½ cups sliced strawberries, divided
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Add Oreos to food processor and pulse until cookies are fine crumbs. In large bowl, combine the Oreo crumbs with the melted butter. Press cookie mixture into prepared pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar with a mixer (hand held or stand). Once smooth, stir in 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread over Oreo Crust.
- In the same bowl, combine pudding mix and milk with a mixer. Beat for 5 minutes or the time recommended on the box directions. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread a thin layer of pudding over cream cheese layer.
- Add 1/2 the chopped or sliced strawberries to the remaining pudding mixture and gently stir until combined. Spread over the pudding layer.
- Spread the remaining Cool Whip on top. Refrigerate for 3-5 hours before serving. Top with remaining strawberries and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
I reduced the amount of milk from the previous version to help stabilize the pudding layer. Additionally, I spread a thin layer of the pudding layer without strawberries over the cream cheese layer to act as a barrier from the powdered sugar in the cream cheese layer, which caused the strawberries to create a juice. This, along with only putting halve the strawberries in the pudding mix, helped the cheesecake pudding layer stay firm, making a much nicer presentation.
This recipe can be halved and made it in an 8x8 pan.
Recipe source: Kitchen Meets Girl
I’ll be honest; these aren’t fabulous pictures. It’s an incredibly tasty dessert but hard to cut and make look pretty. Regardless, I’m looking forward to making this for Mom when I go home in a couple of weeks. And you can bet that I’m bringing some of those good California strawberries home with me to make this dessert for my Mom. I strongly recommend you treat your Mom (or Dad for Father’s Day) or anyone you love with this sweet, decadent dessert. It’s the perfect summer dessert!
Enjoy!
Tanya
This sounds like a delicious summer dessert! I especially like the no-bake part, since I hate turning the oven on in the summer!
I hate turning on the oven during the summer too. It get so awfully hot! And this was absolutely delicious. I made a lot of yum yum noises. 😀
I will definitely be making this at some point! You literally had me at “strawberry” and “cheesecake” 🙂
Those are two of my favorite words too! And this dessert is scrumptious!
This looks SO yummy. Can’t wait to try it out!! We are huge cheesecake fans here. 🙂
Oh, you’ll love this! It’s not like a traditional baked cheesecake but it’s so light and yummy! And I devoured it. 😀