Strawberry crunch dessert cups are the perfect no bake treat for lovers of strawberry shortcake ice cream bars! Layers of strawberry crunch crust, creamy vanilla cheesecake filling, a fresh strawberry, and even more strawberry crunch topping! This nostalgic treat is the perfect mini dessert for summer gatherings!
Ingredients for Strawberry Crunch Dessert Cups
Strawberry crunch crust and topping
- Vanilla sandwich cookie crumbs (Golden Oreo cookies) – Use a food processor to make coarse crumbs. No need to remove the cream filling.
- Freeze-dried strawberries – Pulse the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor to create a strawberry powder. This gives the strawberry crumble it’s amazing strawberry flavor and color.
- Unsalted butter – Melted. You can also use salted butter if you prefer.
Vanilla cheesecake filling
- Cream cheese – Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Vanilla extract – A splash of vanilla extract adds great flavor to the cheesecake filling.
- Heavy cream – You can use either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
Garnish
- Strawberries – Fresh, sliced strawberries.
- Strawberry crunch – There will be leftover strawberry crunch from the crust of the dessert cups. Use this to sprinkle on top of the cups!
Tools & Supplies for Making Strawberry Crunch Dessert Cups
How to Make Strawberry Crunch Dessert Cups
- Stir together vanilla sandwich cookie crumbs, freeze-dried strawberry powder, and melted butter.
- Portion the crumbs into 28 2-ounce plastic cups using a small cookie scoop or spoon. Use one of the plastic cups to press the crumbs into the bottom of the cup.
- In another mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add heavy cream and whip on medium-high speed until thickened.
- Fill a piping bag with the vanilla cheesecake mixture. Pipe the cheesecake into the cups until about 3/4 full.
- Sprinkle the top of the vanilla cheesecake filling with additional strawberry crunch crumbles and garnish with a slice of strawberry.
- Seal the cups with a lid and chill. The cups can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Strawberry Crunch Dessert Cups Recipe Tips
Plastic cups
The plastic cups with lids can be found on Amazon or at your local party supply store. You can also use cupcake liners or make it into a no bake cheesecake in an 8-inch pan.
Yield
This recipe makes approximately 28 2-ounce cups. This is an estimation. You may have a few more or a few less depending on how much chocolate mousse filling you pipe into the cups! A small cookie scoop measures the perfect amount of crumbs in the 28 cups.
Freeze-dried strawberries
Freeze-dried strawberries can be found at Walmart and Amazon! They are different than dehydrated strawberries. If you cannot find freeze-dried strawberries, you can substitute that out with 3 tablespoons of strawberry gelatin powder (Jell-O). I personally prefer the freeze-dried strawberries as they are less sweet, but the gelatin also works!
Cookie crumbs and strawberry powder
Use a food processor to make vanilla sandwich cookie crumbs. No need to remove the cream filling! I like to pulse the cookies until there are coarse crumbs for a little texture in the strawberry crunch. To make the freeze-dried strawberry powder, pulse the strawberries in the food processor until there is a fine powder.
Storing and serving
The dessert cups can be stored in the fridge for about 2 to 3 days. A great way to serve these dessert cups at a party is straight out of a cooler so they remain chilled. When serving, do not leave the cups out for more than 30 minutes or so.
Click here to see a quick video on how to make strawberry crunch dessert cups! Follow Cake Me Home Tonight on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more recipe videos and baking tutorials!
Strawberry Crunch Dessert Cups
Equipment
- 28 2-ounce plastic cups with lids
- Electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Strawberry Crunch Crust and Topping
- 24 vanilla sandwich cookies made into crumbs
- 1 oz freeze-dried strawberries ground into a fine powder
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
Vanilla Cheesecake Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Topping
- fresh strawberry slices
- additional strawberry crunch
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine vanilla sandwich cookie crumbs, freeze-dried strawberry powder, and melted butter. Mix to combine.
- Portion the crumbs into 28 2-ounce plastic cups using a small cookie scoop or spoon. Use one of the plastic cups to press the crumbs into the bottom of the cup. There will be leftover crumbs for the top of the dessert cups.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour in heavy whipping cream and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Fill a piping bag with the vanilla cheesecake mixture. Pipe into the cups until about 3/4 full.
- Sprinkle the top of the vanilla cheesecake filling with additional strawberry crunch crumbs and garnish with a slice of strawberry.
- Seal the cups with a lid and chill. The cups can be served immediately or stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
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