No Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake Bars!
If you grew up in the 90’s like I did then you know that Orange Creamsicles are a sacred part of summer memories. While the classic ice cream bars cant be beat- its pretty fun to infuse the flavor combination into other desserts!
The other thing that was quite popular back in the day was fruit jello salads. My grandmother always made them for the holidays. I liked them- but they weren’t my favorite.
This recipe is kind of like the concept of a fruit jello salad only modernized and massively upgraded. The jello is whipped up with cream cheese & cool whip to create a light and airy cheesecake absolutely perfect no bake treat for summer.
If you are using the brand Cool Whip- you will need one 9 ounce container. 2/3 will go into the orange layer and 1/3 will be used in the cheesecake topping.
I tested this recipe twice making it with regular cool whip once and a second time with the brand true whip. Theres a pretty big difference in the thickness of the various brands and cool whip works the very best. With Tru whip I found I needed to freeze the bars to slice them nicely & serving them frozen worked best in general (still delicious- just a much thinner consistency.) Cool whip gives it the best thickness.
How to make the bars Dairy Free & Vegan:
If you want to make the bars vegan or using another brand of whipped topping I would use the following quantities instead:
For the orange layer when making the jello use 1/2 cup of hot water (instead of 3/4 cup) AND 1/2 cup of cold water (instead of 3/4 cup).
For the cream cheese topping using any brand besides cool whip I recommend using 1 1/2 cups of cream cheese (12 ounces) rather than 8 ounces + only 1/2 cup of the cool whip sub instead of a full cup.
No Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups of Gluten Free Nilla Wafer Crumbs OR Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crumbs.
- 5 1/2 Tbsp Melted Butter (regular or vegan)
- 3 Ounces of Orange Gelatin Mix (Regular, Sugar Free or Vegan Based Orange Jello mix)
- 3/4 Cup of Boiling Water
- 3/4 Cup of Cold Water
- 8 Ounces Room Temperature Cream Cheese (regular or vegan)
- 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar or Organic Cane Sugar
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 2 Cups of Cool Whip (or a vegan brand * but see note below)
- Optional: Orange Food coloring if you want a bolder color
- Zest of 2 Mandarin Oranges or 1 Regular Orange
- Optional: 2 Cuties- peeled and membrane removed then chopped. This is completely optional and can be added or left out to your preference.
- 8 Ounces Room Temperature Cream Cheese (regular or vegan)
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Milk or Water
- 1 Cup of Cool Whip (or a vegan brand- but see note below).
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Line a 7x7 or 8x8 square pan with parchment. Set aside. Remove the cream cheese from the fridge and allow it to sit out and warm up a little.
- Make the cookie crumb crust. Crush the cookie crumbs of choice in a food processor or add the cookies to a gallon sized bag and crush them with the bottom of a cup or rolling pin. Mix the crumbs with the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the square plan. Place pan into the freezer while preparing the next layer.
- Make the orange layer: Whisk together the hot water and gelatin until dissolved. Then stir in the cold water. Place into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes until cool- but not set. Add the cream cheese and sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer (Or mix in a large bowl with a hand mixer). Whip together the ingredients until the cream cheese starts to get fluffy. Pour in the cooled jello a little at a time and mix until smooth. (Do not pour it in too quickly or the consistently wont be as smooth.) Add in the orange zest & cool whip as well as food coloring if opting to use it. Mix until completely smooth.
- If you wish to include orange pieces- peel the orange cuties and remove the skin around each peel. Chop into small bite sized pieces. Stir the orange pieces into the jello cheesecake blend.
- Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the orange layer evenly over the top. Placing the pan back in the freezer while prepping the top vanilla cheesecake layer. You'll want the bars to firm up and begin to freeze. (30-45 minutes)
- In a mixing bowl, beat the second batch of cream cheese with the vanilla extract, the confectioners sugar, and vanilla and salt together until smooth and creamy. Using a spatula and stir in the cool whip. Place the top vanilla cheesecake layer over the orange layer. Cover the bars and let them set up in the fridge or freezer for 6- hours or overnight before slicing.
- Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to one week- or freeze for up to one month. The bars taste good both chilled and frozen.
Notes
IF you are using the brand Cool Whip- you will need one 9 ounce container. 2/3 will go into the orange layer and 1/3 will be used in the cheesecake topping.
I tested this recipe twice making it with regular cool whip once and a second time with the brand true whip. Theres a pretty big difference in the thickness of the various brands and cool whip works the very best. With Tru whip I found I needed to freeze the bars to slice them nicely & serving them frozen worked best in general (still delicious- just a much thinner consistency.) Cool whip gives it the best thickness.
If you want to make the bars vegan or using another brand of whipped topping I would use the following quantities instead:
For the orange layer when making the jello use 1/2 cup of hot water (instead of 3/4 cup) AND 1/2 cup of cold water (instead of 3/4 cup).
For the cream cheese topping using any brand besides cool whip I recommend using 1 1/2 cups of cream cheese (12 ounces) rather than 8 ounces + only 1/2 cup of the cool whip sub instead of a full cup.
