Stone-fruit + Coconut No-Bake Cheesecake

I think I finally found it.  I finally found a cheesecake that I’ll actually eat after I’m done making it because it’s easy enough that I don’t hate it by the time I’m done with it.  So exciting!  At first, I was leery about the whole no-bake cheesecake concept.  I think I  was envisioning some sort of Jell-o filling in a pie tin.  This, however, is far from any such thing.  It’s made with real ingredients, it’s summery, refreshing, and lick-your-bowl-clean-delicious, and it’s so simple!  As always, refer to The 7 Commandments of Cheesecake for best results!

p.s. rules 2-5 are the only one’s that really apply to the no-bake version

These Trader Joe’s Toasted Coconut Cookie Thins make the perfect crust for these mini cheesecakes!

Pitting cherries is not the easiest thing to do… I started by just smashing them with the flat side of my knife.  Not smart.  Unless you wanted cherry juice all over yourself and your kitchen.  So, I had to improvise by putting a handful of cherries into a ziploc bag and then smashing them.  It’s way less messy and the pits pop right out!

I used another ziploc bag to pipe the cheesecake filling into the bowls.  I used to have a really nice KitchenAid piping site.  But I managed to totally destroy that the first time I ever used it (this is why we can’t have nice things).  So, it’s ziploc bags for me!

 Stone-fruit + Coconut No-Bake Cheesecake

Servings: 12 / Prep time: 30 min

• 1 nectarine, thinly sliced
• 20-25 cherries, halved
• 1 sleeve Trader Joe’s Toasted Coconut Cookie Thins, crushed
• 2 TB butter, melted
• 2 – 8oz packages Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 can of coconut cream (approx 10-11 oz)
• 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp coconut flavoring (optional)
• 1 pkg gelatin, unflavored
• 1/4 cup water

1. Crush cookies and combine in a small bowl with melted butter.  Spoon 2 tablespoon of crumbs into 12 small dishes or jars (around 5 oz) and press down.

2. Whip cream cheese in a stand mixer on medium speed for one minute.  Gradually add sugar.  Next, add in coconut flavoring, coconut cream, and heavy cream and mix until smooth.  In a small saucepan, combine gelatin and water.  Heat on low heat until all gelatin is dissolved.  Add to cream cheese mixture gradually while mixer is running.

3. Pipe filling into bowls and fill them about 2/3 full.  Chill in refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

4.  Take chilled cheesecakes out of refrigerator and top with nectarines and cherries!