No-Bake Cottage Cheese Cheesecake

Despite being a pretty accomplished baker (so I'm told), there's still a place in my pantry for cake mixes and pre-made frosting. I am not a food snob by any stretch of the imagination but I historically tend to avoid recipes involving Cool Whip: frozen sweetened 'whipped cream' that's not even really cream. Could this be good? Really? Yes, really. You must make this, please take my word for it. Easy/delicious/versatile/light/cheap - you can't NOT make this.

Initially it was the idea of making a cheesecake with cottage cheese that piqued my interest. Cottage cheese is significantly lower in fat and cheaper than cream cheese. The final product is A creamy, mousse-like texture with just the right subtle cheesecake flavor. This is a perfect light dessert and you would no one would ever guess there's cottage cheese in it. Light, versatile, cheap and easy. This will not disappoint. I like lemon or strawberry flavor but use whatever you like. I'm glad I didn't let my pre-conceived Cool Whip/Jell-O idess stop me from trying this recipe. Just think. 2% fat cottage cheese vs. 30% fat cream cheese. I feel so virtuous!

This recipe comes from my supervisor whose daughter made it for Mother's Day. I have no idea where she got the recipe (maybe Kraft Foods?) but I am thrilled she passed it on to me so I can pass it on to you. The hardest part is waiting for it to set. Shh... the first few servings were eaten from a bowl, after only 1 1/2 hours in the fridge, semi-set but still delicious.

The added bonus is that you can make it with kids. Older kids could make the whole thing themselves and young kids can help out with every step.
Ex. Crush the crackers in a Ziploc Bag, press the crumbs into the pan to make the crust. Dump the Jell-o and cottage cheese in the blender. Stir the Cool Whip and cheese mixture together. Lick the bowl!

I used lemon Jell-O but strawberry would also be yummy or Lime or Blue Berry for a twist of color. You can actually get nice looking slices (unlike my pix here) if you let it chill fully, as in overnight.



No-Bake Cottage Cheese Cheesecake
9" Round Cake

2 cups graham cracker or digestive crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
2-4 tbsp sugar, to taste

1 pkg (85g) Jell-o powder - any fruit flavor (not pudding mix)
1/4 cup hot water
2 cups cottage cheese
1 container (1L) Cool Whip (Light or Regular)

1. Make the crust by combining crumbs sugar and stirring in melted butter. Press into a 9" spring-form pan and refrigerate while you prepare filling.

2. In a blender or food processor, process cottage cheese until smooth Dissolve Jell-o powder in the hot water then add to blender and pulse to combine. Dump into a separate bowl and fold in Cool Whip streight from freezer, do not thaw. When evenly combined, pour over prepared crust and chill in refrigerator until set (3 hours).