Dairy-free cookies & cream cheesecake

A gluten and dairy-free cheesecake that almost tastes like the real thing

For those of you who have been following my journey for a while, you will remember that my family absolutely loves our cookies and cream cheesecake slice (recipe here).  But, the original recipe calls for Oreos and cream cheese, along with a whole host of other dairy and glutenous ingredients.  So I’ve had to adapt it quite a bit, but the end result is definitely worth it.  I’m not sure you can really call this a recipe (although I have seen some recipes posted on the internet where there has only been one or two ingredients …) but I wanted to share the result of my hard labor with you all!

In the US, there are so many flavors of instant pudding mix – for those of you in the rest of the world, I’m not sure how easy it will be for you to get a cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix, but let me know how you go!

Print

Dairy-free cookies & cream cheesecake

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 cup 250g peanut butter, crunchy or creamy
• 1/2 cup 113g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup 40g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

For the filling

• 2 tins coconut cream
• 2 packets instant cheesecake-flavored pudding mix

Instructions

For the crust

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Mix all ingredients together. This will be a very stiff dough, but be patient and it will all come together.
3. Scoop tablespoon-fuls of dough onto the parchment paper. This will yield approximately 16-20 cookies.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool slightly.
5. Place approximately 250g cookies into a ziploc bag and crush until crumbs have formed. If needed, add a little melted margarine (butter if you don't need to be dairy-free) to moisten.
6. Press into a prepared 8 x 8" tin lined with either parchment paper or plastic wrap until a smooth, thin layer is formed. Chill while making the filling.

For the filling

1. Combine the coconut cream and the pudding mix with a hand beater until all mixed.
2. Crush some of the remaining cookies from the crust and fold into cheesecake mixture.
3. Pour on top of the crust and decorate as desired.
4. Chill for 2-3 hours prior to serving.