Medicated No-Bake Kiva Cheesecakes

Growing up, we’d always have family dinner at my grandparents’ house every Sunday. It was a beautiful tradition I loved for many reasons – getting to run around the house with my cousins causing trouble was definitely a highlight, but nothing could top the food. From homemade spaghetti sauce with spicy Italian sausage with buttered noodles, to standing rib roast with creamed corn and mashed potatoes, my grandmother really knew her way around the kitchen. Her food was legendary, and you can ask anyone back home about it. If they were from my hometown, chances are they knew my family, and had tried my grandmother’s food one way or another.

My grandmother made some pretty good desserts in her day, too. White cake with vanilla buttercream frosting that tasted even better in my lunchbox the next day, lemon meringue pie, and more. These were all amazing, but the shining star of the dessert table at these occasions quickly became my aunt’s cheesecake. I almost want to guarantee you that this is the best cheesecake in the world, but I know that’s a bold statement. I can’t think of a single family member who didn’t fawn over this dessert, and it became a staple at any get-together, whether it was a holiday or not.

As I’ve gotten older and started doing holidays my own way and making new traditions, the desire for cheesecake at the holiday dessert table never changed. Now that I get to host fun holiday get-togethers myself as an adult, I like to put a fun twist on things. So in honor of my aunt’s famous cheesecake, I decided to make a medicated version to share with you all!

Meet the medicated no-bake cheesecake! Creamy cream cheese filling is set in a graham cracker crust and topped with a layer of melted Kiva Camino Gummies! I do this by melting down the gummies in a double boiler and then pouring the liquid over the cheesecake, and chilling, creating a gummy layer on top of your classic cheesecake.

I love this recipe because it’s extremely easy and versatile. For instance, if you’re gluten-free, feel free to use gluten-free graham crackers! If you can’t do dairy, you can totally make the filling with vegan cream cheese. If you can eat both of those things, go ahead and do the damn thing.

Lastly, you can totally play around with the type of pan you use. I used an 8×8 pan and cut the cheesecake into bars. You can also make them in a muffin tin so they’re individually portioned, or you can make the dessert in a springform pan to have a whole cheesecake to cut into slices!

This post originally appeared on the Blüm Freely blog.

THC per serving: ~6.25mg
Total Servings: 16

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes

Cooking Tools:
Blender
Bowl
8×8 baking pan, muffin tin, or springform pan
Rubber spatula

Ingredients:
For the crust
~8 oz graham crackers (you need 2 cups crumbs)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
4 tablespoons water
For the filling
2 8-oz packages cream cheese (regular or vegan – if doing vegan I recommend this brand)
½ cup coconut oil
⅓ cup lemon juice
¼ cup sugar (can sub coconut sugar)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Zest from one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the top layer
1 package Kiva Camino Gummies

Directions:

Step 1
Add graham crackers, brown sugar, and salt to blender and blend until mixture becomes fine crumbs. Make sure you have 2 cups of crumbs, you can discard the rest or use it for something else.

Step 2
In a large bowl, combine crumbs, coconut oil or butter, and water with a fork. Add the liquid gradually and stir in between. You will know you have the right consistency when you take a pinch in your hands and the crumbs stick together.

Step 3
Transfer crust mixture to your pan. Press down firmly and make sure the crust is even. Let sit in the freezer while you make the filling.

Step 4
Add all ingredients for filling to blender. Blend until fully incorporated and smooth. You might need to remove the lid, scrape down the sides, and blend again. 

Step 5
Transfer filling to crust. Smooth out the surface evenly with a rubber spatula. Let chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or until mixture is firm.

Step 6
Once cheesecake is thoroughly cooled, assemble your double boiler by filling a small pan with water a few inches high. Place a heatproof bowl in the pot. Add Kiva Camino gummies to double boiler and turn heat to medium to melt. It’s very important that you stir frequently – this mixture is very sticky and can burn if you don’t keep it moving!

Step 7
Once gummies have fully melted, pour the mixture over your cooled cheesecake. Smooth out the surface evenly with a rubber spatula. Place back in the fridge and chill for another 2-3 hours, or until gummy mixture is firm.

Step 8
Cut into slices and enjoy! Please note the gummy mixture is very sticky – if you used an 8×8 pan, try wetting your knife when you slice the cheesecake so it doesn’t stick to the gummy layer.