Strawberry Cream Cheese Torte with Chocolate Cookie Crust
Fresh strawberries are in season just a few weeks each year (forget about those hard-hearted pretenders available in cold weather), but you can give red-ripe flavor to desserts anytime if you’ve frozen some of the harvest from a pick-your-own operation or backyard patch. Juicy, thawed berries are ideal for this torte, which in turn is perfect for a potluck or large family gathering.
Prep Time: 35
Total Time: 65
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 1/4 cups ground chocolate grahams, Nabisco Famous Chocolate wafers, or other chocolate cookies
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
2 (8-oz) packages Organic Valley Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 extra large or jumbo Organic Valley Eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
Topping:
2 - 2 1/2 pounds frozen strawberries (about 8 cups), thawed
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make crust: Combine ground chocolate cookies and melted butter in a bowl. Press the mixture into an 8 1/2-by-12 1/2-inch disposable foil pan (or similarly sized baking pan).
Cream the cream cheese with electric beaters in a large bowl. Add sugar, eggs, and extracts. Beat on high speed 2-3 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Bake until set, 25-30 minutes. Cool.
Meanwhile, make topping: Drain the thawed berries over a saucepan to collect the juices. Whisk in sugar and cornstarch until smooth. Place over medium flame and heat, stirring often, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Use a rubber spatula to scrape thickened juice over the berries; mix gently. Cool completely.
Chill torte and topping. To serve, cut torte into square or rectangular pieces and ladle each serving with strawberry topping.
Copyright by Terese Allen
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