Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 1 lb Vanilla Cream Cookies (about 34 cookies, with a few reserved for the topping)
• 6 tablespoons Butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 1 small box (3.3 oz) Strawberry Jello
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 16 oz Cream Cheese, softened (2 bricks of 8 oz each)
• 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
• 10 Strawberry Wafer Cookies (about 4 oz, for extra crunch)

For the Topping:

• Whipped Topping, about half a small tub, thawed and placed into a pastry bag with a star tip (Wilton 1M tip recommended)

Instructions:

1. The Crust:

• Process 26 vanilla cream cookies into fine crumbs and blend well with the melted butter.
• Press this mixture into the bottom of a greased 10″ springform pan and set in the freezer for 15 minutes.

1. The Filling:

• Dissolve the strawberry jello in boiling water and let it cool (do not refrigerate).
• Beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth.
• Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar to stiff peaks, then fold it into the cream cheese mixture and cooled strawberry jello in two steps.
• Layer half of the whipped cream mixture over the crust, followed by half of the strawberry jello mixture. Freeze for 15 minutes, then add the remaining cream cheese mixture and top with the remaining strawberry mixture.

1. The Topping:

• Crush the remaining vanilla cream cookies and strawberry wafers. Add food coloring for a pinker hue if desired.
• Sprinkle this crunchy mixture over the cheesecake and refrigerate for 4 hours to set.
• Garnish with swirls of whipped topping before serving.

Enjoy!