So today I'm excited to share with you this extremely easy no-bake cookie butter cheesecake.
Yeay!
Don't tell me I'm the only one who's excited about it. Am I?
This no-bake cheesecake uses both cookie butter AND speculoos cookies. And guess what? NO gelatin required!
Yes I know many of you have been asking about substituting gelatin in my no-bake cheesecake recipes. So for this recipe, no gelatin no worries dear friends.
What Are Speculoos Cookies/Biscuits?
Speculoos cookies or also known as speculaas cookies are originally from Belgium and Netherlands. They are a type of shortcrust cookies/biscuits that have spices in them.
The spices in these cookies range from cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, white pepper, cloves and ginger.
These cookies are thin, crunchy and have some caramelised flavour to them.
Traditionally these cookies are served and eaten during Christmas or in some places to celebrate St Nicholas. These days we enjoy them at anytime simply because they're delicious!
What Is Cookie Butter?
Cookie butter is an edible paste that is made from speculoos cookies and some other ingredients but the main ingredient is... yes you guessed it right. Speculoos cookies.
In countries like Belgium, France and Netherlands this cookie butter is commonly eaten as a type of spread instead of chocolate spreads or nuts butter.
And it seems that it has slowly gained the favors of the people in the United States also as it's becoming a more known product there.
No-Bake Cookie Butter Cheesecake
So for today's recipe I'm going full force in speculoos cookies and cookie butter.
I'm using the speculoos cookies for the base instead of my go-to digestive biscuits base. Since the cookies are already sweet so I'm not adding any sugar together with them for the base.
Now let's talk about the cheesecake!
The cheesecake doesn't take any gelatin. Have I mentioned it already to you? Well just to make sure, it has NO gelatin. I repeat, NO gelatin.
Even though it doesn't have any gelatin in it, the cheesecake sets beautifully in a short time. I put it to chill in the fridge overnight and it came out perfect.
I'm using the cookie butter to give the cheesecake that speculoos flavour. Since the cookie butter is already sweet so I'm not using so much sugar to sweeten the whole cheesecake. Just 2 tablespoon of icing sugar.
Ohhh now we've come to the caramel part!
You can totally skip the caramel but trust me, it really brings the whole cheesecake to another level. You just need a thin layer of this caramel on top of the cheesecake.
Take a bite and it is going to make you go ohhh laa laaa!
This is a super easy caramel to make also, which is always a plus. I've used this caramel (in different quantities) in several of my other recipes. Would you like to see some?
You can look for more in my recipe page.
I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Let me know what you think!
Before you go, I'd like to entice you to my other cheesecake recipes.
Video
No-Bake Cookie Butter Cheesecake
Ingredients
The Base
- 5.3 oz speculoos cookies (150 gr)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (60 gr), melted
The Cheesecake
- 14 oz full fat cream cheese (400 gr), room temperature
- 1 cup cookie butter (285 g), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whipping cream min 35% fat (125 ml), chilled
- 2 tablespoon icing sugar (25 gr), sifted
The Caramel
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (60 gr)
- 3 tablespoon sugar (40 gr)
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar (20 gr)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup whipping cream (60 ml)
Others
- some whipped cream
Instructions
The Base
- Blend the speculoos cookies in a food processor into fine crumbs. Pour into a bowl and add in melted butter. Mix well.
- Pour into a 7 inch (18 cm) springform pan. Press evenly and tightly to the base. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
The Cheesecake
- Whisk cream cheese in a bowl for several minutes until light and fluffy. Then add in cookie butter, vanilla extract and mix well to combine. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add in whipping cream and icing sugar. Whisk until soft peaks and pour in into cheesecake mixture. Gently fold the mixture until well combined.
- Pour into the base and spread evenly. Leave to chill in the fridge overnight.
The Caramel
- Place a pan on medium heat and add in butter, salt, sugar and brown sugar. Stir until both sugars are totally dissolved.
- Slowly and carefully add in the cream and vanilla extract. Stir well and continue cooking until the mixture slightly thickened. Pour into a jar and leave it to cool to room temperature. Note: I would recommend you preparing the caramel a few hours before serving so that it has time to set.
Assembling
- Pour cooled caramel onto the cheesecake and swirl the pan around to fully cover the top surface. Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to let it set.
- Once fully set, remove the cheesecake from the pan and pipe some whipped cream on top. Place some speculoos cookies on whipped cream, slice and enjoy!
How To Transfer To Serving Plate
- It's easy since this cake is small. First insert a knife under the cheesecake and carefully run it all around to detach the cheesecake from the base.
- Using the same knife, gently lift the cheesecake a bit and insert 1 flat spatula. Do the same in the opposite direction.
- Carefully yet confidently lift the cheesecake with both spatulas and place on a serving plate. Gently remove spatulas out.
- Or place a baking sheet on the base of the springform pan before assembling. You will have a slightly bigger baking sheet coming out from the springform pan after assembling it. Before serving, gently slide the cheesecake onto a serving plate.
How To Serve
- Keep the cheesecake in the fridge all the time until just a few minutes before serving. Cut the slices as needed and put back the cheesecake in the fridge to maintain chill.
Notes
- Please use full fat cream cheese. Meaning, do not use light cream cheese else it won't set as good.
- Please use minimum 35% fat content for the whipping cream. The fat is needed to help set the cheesecake.
- This recipe doesn't uses gelatin so it usually takes longer to set.
- Use unsalted butter.
- The caramel will start melting a bit when the cheesecake is out from the fridge for quite a while
Tez says
I just love your recipes. I am planning to make this for a feast. I live in very humid hot country. Do I need to use gelatin to set?
Bea says
No, you don't need the gelatine to set. Just keep it in the fridge longer or even put in the freezer for a few minutes before serving. Also don't keep it long outside the fridge when you serve.
Mariam Serroukh says
Made this for the family for new years- went down a treat. Such a scrumptious desert- this will now be on my list of go to deserts to impress!! Thanks Bea- loving your YouTube channel and blogs!
Bea says
Oh that's awesome Mariam, I'm happy to hear that everybody loved it! Thank you so much! XOXO
Esmée van Oorschot says
Fun fact. The Speculoos are called like that because they could not be called Speculaas (what we typically have during Sinterklaas).
Scheerazade Benatallah says
CAN i have thé translation in french of thé récipé please?
Bea says
Hi! You can use Google translate to translate it to your preferred language. Hope it helps.
Hannah says
Successful and utterly delicious cheesecake! Thank you so much
Bea says
Thank you Hannah, glad that you liked it!
Jessica says
Hey! thank for this recipe. Want to make it today but only have a 9 inch pan. Will it work or do I need to change recipe?
thanks : )
Bea says
Hey Jessica! 9 inch pan will be too big for this recipe though. Some adjustment is needed for sure.
tein says
bea thank you! i made it for christmas and my whole family loved it. cannot wait to try more of your recipes.
Bea says
Hi Tein! I'm happy to know that you and your family loved it. If you're into no bake cheesecake then you can find more recipes in my recipe page. Let me know if you tried more. Thank you Tein!
Melissa says
It looks like you used one of those Russian piping nozzles for the whipped cream on top. I can’t see the whole nozzle in the video and wanted to ask if you could send me a picture or provide a description, ie...the number, and if it is open or closed on the top. There are so many different patterns of these and I want to make sure I am using the right one.! Thanks very much...
Bea says
Hi Melissa, I used the nozzle Wilton 2D. It comes in the 22 pieces Wilton piping tip set. I hope this helps.
Melissa says
Thanks!
Bea says
No problem! 🙂
Travis says
OMG I just veganized this recipe and it was delicious!!!
Bea says
Hi Travis! Thank you for making the recipe. Vegan version sounds interesting, how did you make it?
Rukhana Sabir says
Yummy love it
Bea says
Thanks! I hope you make it, it's delicious!