Frozen Mocha Cheesecake

It's not really a secret that I have a sweet tooth. Even before I really discovered my love of cooking I was always a baker and when I was little and would go to my grandparents house during the day the answer to the question of what I would like for breakfast was always the same - pie. Despite my Grandpa's attempts at offering up things such as Filet Mignon (which for years I thought was something called Flaming Yon), I always just wanted pie - what can I say, my Grandma makes a really good crust!

Anyway - pie stories aside, this weekend I remembered one of my favorite desserts from my childhood - Frozen Mocha Cheesecake. This was not something I got often, it was not the kind of thing my mom would have ever made for us (we ate a lot of apple crisps and peach cakes - which are also delicious of course). This dessert was one that my best friend's mom made and it was definitely in the top ten of all time desserts for me, but being a kid the thought of getting the recipe never crossed my mind.

A quick Google search and every link I clicked on was roughly the same idea for the recipe, so I figured it couldn't be too far off! I more or less followed a recipe from Sugar Rush - here is my exact recipe:

Ingredients:
Crust:
24 Oreos (I used Reduced Fat Oreos)
1 Tbs. sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 8-oz packages reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 14-oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup chocolate syrup
1 Tbs. instant espresso
1 Tbs. hot water
1 cup Cool Whip Free (not frozen)

To make the crust pulse the Oreos in a food processor until you have fine crumbs, then add in the sugar and butter and pulse a few more times. Pour the crumbs into a spring form pan (or a 9x13 baking dish - this is how it was served when I was a kid) and press them down with your hands or the bottom of a cup.

To make the filling start by whipping the cream cheese until light and fluffy (important to make sure the cream cheese is room temperature - I am really bad at the waiting part but you get lumps otherwise, especially with the reduced fat kind). Then slowly add the condensed milk and chocolate syrup, continue to mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides and add the espresso mixed with the hot water - mix again for another minute or two until well combined. Add in the cool whip and mix until just incorporated. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and freeze for several hours.

I'm not sure, but I bet this would be good even without the coffee if you're not a big coffee fan. The texture of this cheesecake is wonderful - slightly melted, creamy, but still firm. The low fat substitutions didn't detract from the flavor or texture at all - it was exactly how I remember it! And just think, now you can eat even more cheesecake! What could be bad about that!?

-C