For those who love to go camping, you know that a camping trip just isn't complete without making S'mores over a campfire. Toasting marshmallows and placing them on graham crackers with chocolate is the perfect, decadent dessert for any outdoor activity.
Cheesecake is also a rich, decadent dessert, but often people shy away from it because they think it takes hours in the kitchen to bake. Of course, you can buy the NoBake Jello Cheesecake, but it just doesn't taste the same. Gemma Stafford of
Bigger Bolder Baking has come up with a great way to make a no-bake cheesecake that weds the wonders of camping with the joys of cheesecake. For the full step-by-step instructions on how to make this delicious dessert, check out her instructional video at the end of the article.
The S'mores Cheesecake is made with the same basic ingredients as traditional S'mores: Chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. Rather than having to bake this cheesecake, though, you combine cream cheese and cream together to get a cheesecake filling that is rich yet sets without having to heat your kitchen. The most challenging part of this dessert is toasting the marshmallow topping. Stafford uses a blowtorch, but you may be able to simply place it under the broiler for a few minutes to get the same result. The final product looks just as decadent as any campfire s'more.
No-bake S'mores cheesecake
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
Total Time: 4.5 hours
Serves: 8-10
IngredientsCrust2 packages (2 ½ cup/245g) crushed Graham crackers (or digestives)
8 tbsp. (120g) butter, melted
Cheesecake1/2 cup (115g) sugar
16 oz. (454g) cream cheese
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (473ml) cream (all purpose or whipping cream)
8 oz. (230g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate (melted and cooled)
Marshmallow top8 oz. (225g) mini marshmallows
Directions1. Crush the graham crackers or biscuits for the crust. Pour melted butter onto crushed crackers and mix thoroughly. Place crust into springform pan. Press crust down firmly with fingers until it is compacted all the way around. Place pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
2. In a mixing bowl, place room temperature cream cheese and sugar. Mix thoroughly, scraping sides of bowl and beaters as needed. Add cream and vanilla and whip until thick.
3. Take cooled chocolate and mix a small amount of cheese filling into the cooled chocolate. Once that is thoroughly mixed in, add the rest of the cheese filling and finish mixing quickly.
4. Spoon filling into springform pan and spread out with spatula until smooth. Place in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
5. For marshmallow topping, place marshmallows in a bowl and melt in microwave. Take cheesecake out of springform pan and spread marshmallows over the top. Brown the top of the marshmallows with a cooking blow torch or place under the broiler for a few minutes.
Pro tip: Stafford points out that the cheesecake filling is a basic filling. You can add anything you want to this filling recipe to get different styles and flavors of cheesecake.
Regardless of whether you are hampered by limited cooking space or just suffering from the heat of summer and don't want to heat your home any more than necessary, you can still turn out a delicious dessert that looks like you spent hours in the kitchen.
