With layers of cream cheese, Cool Whip, cheesecake pudding and fresh strawberries, this Strawberry Cheesecake Lush will quickly become your new favorite summer dessert!
Believe it or not, until Memorial Weekend, I’ve never had a layered dessert like this before. Now that I’ve made and photographed one, I realized this type of dessert is all over the internet in various forms. Chocolate, pistachio and lemon seem to be the forerunners, and I’m making it my life’s mission to try every version possible before the end of summer.
This Strawberry Cheesecake Lush is that good.
I actually found the chocolate version of this recipe in my grandmother’s recipe box, but since it’s summer and I like to add fruit to my desserts, I decided to change the flavors around a bit and make mine a strawberry cheesecake version.
The problem with that is that you don’t get a great color variation in the layers, but once you start shoveling this in your mouth, you won’t miss that at all. 😉
My grandmother’s recipe used nuts and flour for the crust, but since the guys in my house refuse to eat nuts (??), I used Golden Oreos instead. Yep, a whole package of ’em. It was an awesome decision, if I do say so myself. And this way, I didn’t have to turn on the oven at all – a definite bonus during the hot summer months.
The next layer is simply cream cheese, powdered sugar, and Cool Whip. Just beat that goodness together, and spread it over your cookie crust.
On top of that, you’ll spread a layer of cheesecake pudding (mixed with a bit more Cool Whip), and then top that with a layer of sliced strawberries – the more, the better! Finish it off with more Cool Whip, and you’re good to go.
How easy is that?
Doodle went crazy over this dessert, and the Tall Boy {not one to get too excited over desserts}, ate more than one serving – so that’s pretty much a double thumbs-up in my house.
We really loved this Strawberry Cheesecake Lush, and I’m so excited to try other combinations of this easy summer dessert. If you’re a fan, what’s your favorite? Lemon? Chocolate? Pistachio? I can’t wait to make them all!
Strawberry Cheesecake Lush
Ingredients
- 1 package Golden Oreos (36 cookies)
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 (16-ounce) container Cool Whip, divided
- 2 packages (3.4 ounce each) instant cheesecake pudding mix
- 3 cups milk
- 3½ cups sliced strawberries
Method
- Crush the entire package of Oreos. A food processor would work great for this – I don’t have one, so I just placed my cookies in a gallon sized Ziplock bag and crushed them with a rolling pin. When the cookies are fine crumbs, transfer them to a large bowl and mix in 6 tablespoons of melted butter. Press the cookie mixture into a 9×13 pan and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining layers.
- Next, beat together 1 cup of powdered sugar, the cream cheese, and 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread over your cookie layer.
- For the next layer, mix together the pudding mix, milk, and another 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread over the cream cheese layer.
- Layer the sliced strawberries on top, and spread the remaining Cool Whip on top.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.