No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Cups with Brown Butter Graham Crumbs (Dairy Free Option)
It’s actually kind of rare for me to be creating or obsessing over a fruit dessert - I’m definitely more of a chocolate girl and always have been. But for some reason, I’ve had this idea of little deconstructed strawberry cheesecake cups in my brain for a while now, so I knew I had to execute on it.
The result is a dessert that is SO incredibly delicious, I’m claiming it the dessert of the summer (based on nothing but my own feelings). I made these cheesecake cups the other day and literally kept going back every few minutes for extra bites. We’ve got a creamy, silky cheesecake “mousse” (which I made dairy free but you don’t have to), juicy and sweet macerated summer strawberries and brown butter graham cracker crumbs. Layer everything into cute little cups and serve them to your guests (or partner, or friends, or just yourself) for the most impressive and seasonally appropriate dessert. I hope the combination of flavors and textures here blows your mind as much as it did mine. ENJOY!
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Cups with Brown Butter Graham Crumbs
Ingredients
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
1/2 cup plain vegan or regular cream cheese (I used Miyokos cashew cream cheese)
1/4 cup coconut cream (the thick part from the can)
1/4 - 1/3 cup icing sugar or powdered maple sugar, depending how sweet you want it
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
1 cup graham style crackers (I used gluten free)
2 tbsp brown butter (how to make it here)
1 tbsp brown or coconut sugar (optional, if you want the crumbs sweeter)
Method
Start by making your macerate strawberries: place sliced strawberries in a bowl and add the lemon zest + juice, maple syrup and vanilla and stir to coat. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake cup components (if making in advance, you can store this mixture in the fridge overnight).
To make your cheesecake mousse, add cream cheese to a bowl and whip with a handheld or stand mixer for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add coconut cream, sugar and vanilla and whip again until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. Store in the fridge if not using right away.
To make the brown butter graham cracker crumbs, add your graham crackers to a Ziploc bag or food processor and crush or pulse until you have crumbs - there can be some smaller and some larger chunks! You should have about 3/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs. Place these in a bowl and add the brown butter, stir to coat, then taste and add 1 tbsp sugar if you want them sweeter.
To assemble, grab 2 short glasses. Add a few spoonfuls of brown butter graham cracker crumbs to the bottom, then a layer of the cheesecake mousse, then a big spoonful of strawberries. Repeat this process once more and finish by topping each one with an extra sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs. Eat right away or store in the fridge before serving!
Makes 2 servings (can easily be doubled or tripled for more people!)
