The word lush brings to mind all things elaborate and swanky, but when it comes to dessert it just means an easy and simple layered confection that tastes rich. A crunchy base of cookies is topped with a couple silky layers of cheesecake, pudding and whipped topping and chilled until set, and there you have it – the incredible, irresistible lush.
Banana, lemon, cherry, chocolate, peanut butter… they come in any variety you can imagine, but there’s no match for the combination of strawberries and sweet cream. This Strawberry Cheesecake Lush is so good there’s a danger that it might be the only dessert you want to eat from here on out. But we’re willing to take that risk.
We can’t get enough of the sweet and succulent bite of strawberry against the light and velvety layers of cheesecake pudding and whipped cream. All of that sweet creaminess is backed by the satisfying crunch of buttery vanilla cookies. It’s heaven, y’all.
It tastes indulgent, but not heavy, and it’s seriously easy to put together. It’s only a matter of mixing a few things up and then setting the whole thing to chill, so while it’s certainly one of our favorite desserts to eat, it’s also one of our favorite desserts to make.
Strawberry Cheesecake Lush
20 minutes active, 1 hour inactive to prepare serves 14-16
INGREDIENTS
1 package vanilla sandwich cookies (36 cookies)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 (16 ounce) containers whipped topping, divided
2 packages (3.4 oz each) instant pudding mix, cheesecake flavor
3 cups milk
4 cups sliced strawberries
PREPARATION
Using a food processor, pulse sandwich cookies until they are fine crumbs. You can also place cookies in a large ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin or heavy glass.
In a large bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs and melted butter until well combined. Press cookie mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Chill in refrigerator.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, and 1 cup of whipped topping, and beat with electric mixer until smooth. Spread over cookie layer in pan.
In the same bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, and 1 cup of whipped topping, and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer in pan.
Top with sliced strawberries and spread more whipped topping over the top to cover. Garnish with additional strawberries if desired. Chill until ready to serve.