No Bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
A no bake chocolate chip cheesecake flecked with finely chopped dark chocolate in the creamy filling, with a buttery, salted graham cracker crust, and decorated with Easter candy.
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Equipment
- 8-inch Springform Pan with Removable Bottom
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Handheld)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¾ cups finely crushed graham crackers, approximately 1 1/2 "sleeves"
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar, optional
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 1 ½ lbs cream cheese, softened for 30 minutes at room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup sour cream, optional
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 ¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream, divided
- 3 oz chocolate bar (milk, semi-sweet or dark), finely chopped
- assorted candy, for decorating
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly spray the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray, or line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the crushed graham crackers with the sugar and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter, and toss with a fork until moistened and crumbly. Dump the crumbs into the pan, and press the crumbs firmly against the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Cool completely. You can speed up the cooling by letting it cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes.
Filling
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, until smooth.Tip: The filling isn't overly sweet, so if you prefer sweeter desserts, increase the powdered sugar by 2-4 tablespoons.
- Scrape the bowl down and beat in the sour cream and the vanilla extract, until smooth, then beat in 1/4 cup of the cream.
- Pour in the rest of the cream, switch to the whisk attachment, and beat for several more minutes on medium speed until thick, fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
- Add the chopped chocolate and fold it in with a spatula.
- Spread the filling into the cooled crust. Refrigerate the cheesecake for 2 hours before serving.
Serving
- To serve, run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the crust from the pan, then carefully remove the sides of the pan. Set the cheesecake on a serving plate or cake pedestal.
- If you like, decorate the top of the cake with assorted Easter candy for a fun and festive holiday dessert. I used a variety of Cadbury eggs, mini chocolate bunnies, and candy coated robin's eggs for mine. Note that the food coloring used on the shells of the candy eggs will bleed a little and stain the top of cheesecake batter.
- Instead of the candy, you can also serve your cheesecake with chocolate ganache or salted caramel sauce.
Notes
Leftover no bake cheesecake should be covered and refrigerated, and is best eaten within 2-3 days.
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