The Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (you can make your own by processing graham crackers in a food processor)*
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened (you can speed this up by putting it in the microwave on defrost for about 45 seconds)
- 1 1/2 cups milk–I use 2%
- 1 package cheesecake flavor instant pudding mix
- 2 pints sliced fresh strawberries
Directions:
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well-combined, then press into the bottom of a pie plate.
In an electric mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy. Slowly add the milk, regularly scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure that you don’t have any thick spots. Once the milk is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth, beat in the pudding mix. Continue beating until there are no lumps left in the mixture and it is smooth and creamy.
Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pie plate and smooth the top. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Then, pull out and add strawberries to the top–I like this gorgeous circular pattern. Leave the cheesecake to chill for at least 30 more minutes before serving. Keep cold until ready to serve for the best effect.
Note: graham crackers may add a little sugar to the recipe. If you need to be completely, 100% sugar-free, make your cheesecake crustless!
