![\"Lemon](\"http:\/\/www.cookiesorbiscuits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Lemon-Cheesecake.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nGrowing up, this was the only sort of cheesecake I ever ate. I had heard of baked cheesecakes, but they were not really common in Australia. No bake cheesecakes ruled the day – we called them Continental Cheesecakes. There was even a delightful bakery near our house called The Continental Cheesecake Shop. That place was heaven on earth, with the huge variety of no-bake cheesecakes. These days, there are still Cheesecake Shops, alas my childhood favorite is long gone. But these days they sell both No-Bakes and Baked Cheesecakes.<\/p>\n
Perhaps no-bakes were so popular due to the fact that an oven never has to be turned on – which is definitely an advantage on a hot day. The other advantage is that they are so easy to make.<\/p>\n I have always made my own cookie base for my cheesecakes. In Australia, we used to use arrowroot biscuits or gingernuts. In America, I use gluten free gingernut cookies (Mi-Del brand). If you do not need to eat gluten free, graham crackers would work perfectly. Basically, you are just looking for any plain, sweet cookie.<\/p>\n This cold dessert is perfect for these days which are starting to warm up! I think I might need to make this again, because we are going to be hitting the 80’s today (highly unusual for April in Seattle!) and the one photographed is long gone!<\/p>\n Edited to add: This no-bake cheesecake has a very soft, creamy texture. It is very different from the texture of a baked cheesecake. However, it should hold it’s shape after setting in the refrigerator. <\/p>\n Here are some pointers for first timers, or if you are wondering why your cheesecake did not set:<\/p>\n 1. Use regular lemons (not Meyer lemons which have a lower citric acid level. The citric acid reacts with the sweetened condensed milk to thicken and set the cheesecake).<\/p>\n 2. If you don’t see the mixture thicken when you beat in the lemon juice, add a little more lemon juice. The general rule is 1\/2 cup to each can of sweetened condensed milk, however a little more juice is OK. Just taste the mixture to make sure you don’t add too much!<\/p>\n 3. Make sure you are using Original Cream Cheese (the rectangular block). If you would like a visual, you can see it at Philadelphia<\/a> The spreading cream cheese, in the tub, will not work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n