A while ago I had a dream about cheesecake dip (believe it or not, I get a lot of my best recipe inspiration from dreams…on paper that sounds weird, but I can’t be alone in this, right?), and since then, it is one of the many cheesecake-y treats that has been on my mind/“to-make” list. Really, why fight it?
Instead, I decided to make it. With silken tofu.
And because nothing goes better with cheesecake than graham crackers, I came up with Thin and Chewy Graham Cracker Crumb Cookies for dipping. (Actually, I had originally wanted to serve the dip with regular graham crackers. Alas, as fate would have it, my pantry was bereft of graham crackers but full of graham cracker crumbs (ok, I don’t think one box can be considered a full pantry, but you get the idea, lol). Any normal person would have made a trip to the store to pick up the crackers. Of course, since I love to experiment, I decided it would be much more fun to make a trip to the kitchen.)
How perfect would this dessert be for a Fourth of July party?!
- 6 oz silken tofu
- 4 oz cream cheese (low-fat is fine)
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract (or pure vanilla extract)
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch salt
- 6 oz (about 1½ cups) fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1-2 tablespoons white sugar (depending on how sweet your berries are; if you’re using frozen, use 2 tablespoons)
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
- 2 strawberries, chopped
- Fresh mint
- ½ cup sweetened, shredded coconut
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch fresh grated nutmeg
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For the cheesecake dip, puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pour into a serving bowl, and then chill while you make blueberry topping.
- For the blueberry topping, in a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the blueberries, water, and sugar (uncovered) for about 10 minutes or until the berries are softened, stirring occasionally. Add the cornstarch slurry and cook another 30 seconds , stirring constantly (the mixture will thicken). Cool completely.
- Pour the blueberry topping onto the cheesecake dip and refrigerate until fully chilled.
- While the dip chills, make the cookies. To do so, preheat the oven to 375F. Spread the coconut in an even layer on a small baking sheet and bake until light golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes, giving the pan a shake every 2 minutes. Cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar, then cream in the egg and vanilla. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet, then stir in the cooled coconut. Cover and chill the dough until stiff, about 30 minutes.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners. Scoop the dough out onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2-3 inches between each cookie (using a 1½ tablespoon-scoop you should get about 24 cookies).
- Bake until the cookies are golden on the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the trays once. Cool the cookies on their trays before removing.
- Right before serving, garnish the dip with strawberries and mint if using, and serve the dip chilled along with Thin and Chewy Graham Cracker Crumb Cookies for dipping.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
A great idea! That deconstructed cheesecake looks so delicious. I really like the GC cookies.
Cheers,
Rosa
Cheesecake is definitely one of my all-time favorite desserts, but I love how this doesn’t look as heavy or filling as a slice of it!
Fantastic, a cheesecake dip! And those graham cookies look like a great treat to go along with it! Love this idea!
Oooh, would have never thought of including silken tofu in a cheesecake-inspired dish, but what a fun and healthy addition. Those cookies are also very unique and a great alternative to a trip to the supermarket :)
I’m pretty sure I love every single aspect of this! It sounds so fantastic… I can just taste the chewy cookies now!
This is fantastic! What a great way to indulge without all the calories. This is a total winner.
*kisses* HH
This is a fabulous idea! I wish I dreamed up recipes in my sleep.
This is totally awesome! I think it’d be great with fruit slices too! I love fruit and fruit dip….and graham cracker cookies too? Amazing
Hi Faith! Your recipe is fabulous and it is extremly well-presented. I am so lucky to have explored your wonderful blog through your lovely comment for my guest post at cooking-varieties on cauliflower-lychee curry! Looking forward to share more recipes and reviews with you!!
So glad you had that dream because this dip sounds fantastic! I think I may just be half-tempted to eat the whole bowl without “dipping” anything but my fingers in it =)
This looks amazing! I love cheesecake, and would be all over this :)
Oh my goodness- What a gorgeous summery treat! An amazing healthy way to indulge ~ lovely lovely pics!
US Masala
Yum, the cookies and that dip look so good! I have never made cookies like that but I think I would love them! I’ll have to try them soon :D
Great idea, Faith! I do love the idea of a crisp cookie to dip and not a soggy graham crust… how cool to have dreams like that!
Oh.My.God! This looks so good! This is serving size of one isn’t it? It would be for me! :) Just kidding. Maybe.
Can I faint now? Please?? THIS looks AMAZING. That is an incredibly inspiring dream! Such a great idea! The cookies are of perfect thickness to pair with the dip too! Great job Faith!!
I love healthy sweet treats! This cheesecake dip looks fabulous!
I could dive into your dip Faith, it looks so good with the patriotic sprinkling of berries on top! And those thin and chewy cookies with the coconut, I would be scraping the bottom of the dip bowl with those trying to get every last bite, oh was I suppose to share this with someone?, lol;-)
Impressive making your own graham cookies with crumbs. And its a good thing you believe your dreams can become reality. Love the idea of cutting back with the silken tofu.
Brilliant cheesecake redux – love your dream of graham cracker cookies with a creamy, sweet dip. Beautiful photos – the strawberries are flawless. I’ve used silken tofu instead of cream cheese before – it works great! Hope you have a fabulous 4th of July weekend :)
These cookies alone sound fantastic, but with the dip…Oh my!
Hope you have a great weekend and 4th :)
I have always found cheesecake to be too dense and heavy; this however is fun to eat and much lighter! These cookies are perfect too! Chewy is always a great attribute for a cookie I think!
The perfect combo!! What a special treat!
Bravo! I love that you made cookies with what you had and think they are way better than boring old grahams! The dip sounds so good, and love that it’s healthier.
Mmmm … what an awesome idea! Feel like grabbing that delicious looking dip! And your cookies are making me hungry :)
The cookies alone would be divine, Faith. But I love your dipping dessert! It makes an adorable presentation. I’m not a tofu lover so really like the idea of mixing tofu AND cream cheese.
Have a lovely 4th!
what a beautiful cookie to accompany and different, too; can’t wait to run out and get graham…
thank you for all the gorgeous photos!
I love cheese cake but I an not nuts about tofu. Never the less this looks pretty good to me. Diane
You’ve truly outdone yourself Faith! The dip sounds amazing! And the cookies! Oh my! I bet they would be good as S’mores with marshmallow and chocolate in between them. Happy 4th!
This dipping sauce looks great Faith as also the homemade graham crackers.Have a safe & lovely 4th of July!Lovely pictures
Love that you dreamed this little beauty up, actually Im super impressed you dream up a bunch of your recipes. So cool. This dish look fabulous, love the crackers, I was obsessed with them when I was in the states, not sure you can get them here in OZ, so its wonderful I can make my own now. Im drooling…. YUM!
Love, love, love the idea of these cookies. I can’t wait to make these!
ohoho, I love your idea of cheesecake! it looks scrumptious, and I have a real crush on these graham crackers… they look amazing!
I love how all your dreams are of food! We should all be so lucky. ;)
Happy 4th of July! I think I’m gonna have to make that cheesecake dip asap- It would be a breeze with tofutti, and it sounds so sweet and refreshing.
I haven’t had a chance to visit for a while…I love the new look of your blog! Almost as much as I love the recipe for the graham crackers…delicious Faith!
forget dip, i think i would wanna eat this by the spoonfuls. looks so delicious and appetizing. love that you used silken tofu in the recipe. i keep forgetting to tell you that i’m loving the look of your blog. sorry for being away so long, still trying to catch up to blog reading. hope all is going well with you and Mike.
This looks so delicious, and I love that you used tofu! Berries are so beautiful right now. Thank you for sharing with me, my dear friend. You brought a smile to my face. I hope you had a lovely 4th of July. Hugs from Austin!
This dip sounds to die for!
Hi Faith, I think you have created my new favorite summer dessert! :-) Substituting tofu for cream cheese is a brilliant idea, and the crackers sound super yummy. Can’t wait to try this. Love your pretty new blog design!
I am so glad, you dream. This is truly a dreamy dessert made with dreamy ingredients and I am sure, it tastes dreamy.
What a wonderful variation! The dipping cookies look wonderful on their own, too.
hi faith, wow and wow again… delicious, i sure can tell i can finish a whole plate, as in your photos..
would really love to try this. thanks for sharing and have a nice day
Looks superb! You are not alone .I too dream of food and recipes.
what a fun, festive, and unexpectedly appealing treat! i tend to balk at tofu, but this looks amazing. you may have permanently converted me, faith. :)
I love this idea! The cookies in particular look delicious :)