Two No Bake Desserts that Keep the Kitchen Cool

If you find yourself reluctant to make homemade desserts during the hot summer months because you don't want to heat up the kitchen, there are alternatives out there. No one in their right mind wants to crank up the old oven on a hot day but does that mean no sweets? Of course not. There are always choices like ice cream, jello or pudding but what if you want something a little more special. With options like no bake mini cheesecakes or Nutella cookies, your sweet tooth will be singing a happy tune.

These super easy mini strawberry cheesecakes couldn't be easier to make since they get their pretty pink color and sweet flavor from a box of strawberry Jello. And once these babies are chilled they can be garnished with either fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream or the more decadent choice, a rich layer of dark chocolate ganache.

Prep time: 15 min

Ingredients list

• (2) 8 oz blocks light cream cheese, softened
• 7 oz low fat Greek yogurt
• (1) 3 oz package strawberry Jello
• 1/3 cup water
• 5 oz of gluten free shortbread cookies
• 4 tbsp melted butter

Instructions

1. Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners.
2. Crush the cookies and stir the crumbs together with the melted butter until you have a damp sandy texture.
3. Add a spoonful of the mixture to each of the paper liners and press firmly onto the bottom and slightly up the sides of each liner then refrigerate to chill.
4. Beat together the softened cream cheese and Greek yogurt until it’s well blended and lump free.
5. To dissolve the Jello, boil 1/3 cup of water and stir the package of Jello and mix until completely dissolved then add the mixture to the cream cheese mixture and stir until the batter has a uniform pink color.
6. Evenly divide the mixture among the twelve liners and chill for 4-6 hours prior to serving.
7. Garnish with fresh strawberries and whipped cream prior to serving if desired.

Notes: Combine the cream cheese and Greek yogurt prior to dissolving the Jello so that the dissolved Jello can be immediately added to the mixture before it sets up. You can easily vary the jello flavors to suit your own tastes.

The no-bake mini strawberry cheesecakes are decadently delicious but they do take a few hours to chill and set before they're ready to eat. So if you're on the hunt for a very quick no-bake dessert a better choice may be these no-bake Nutella oatmeal cookies.

These Nutella flavored treats are a great go to recipe when you get that phone call from a friend that they'll be stopping by later for a cup of coffee. They can be thrown together in minutes and eaten shortly afterward. Plus this recipe only contains five ingredients. I'd say it doesn't get any simpler than that.

PrepTime 5 minutes

Bake Time 5 minutes

Ingredients List

• 1 ½ cups of rolled oats (certified gluten free)·
• ½ cup of Nutella hazelnut spread·
• 1/3 cup of sugar·
• 2 tablespoons of butter·
• ¼ cup of milk

Instructions
1. Combine the butter, milk and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, stir constantly it comes to a rapid boil then stir continuously as the mixture boils for 1 minute.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the Nutella until well combined.

3. Stir in the oats and drop spoonfuls onto parchment or waxed paper then smash the cookies slightly with a fork and allow to set for one hour before serving.

Notes: For a different variation, the cookies can be rolled into balls then rolled into chopped nuts then placed into tiny cupcake liners for a nicer presentation.