tasty tuesday: raspberry slice

Although living on a berry farm results in our family being insanely busy during the Summer months, it definitely has its perks.....one of them being an endless supply of fresh berries!   For two girls who love to bake, this is a dream!  The recipe I'm sharing today is definitely one of our family's all time favorites, and it's also a no-bake dessert....which is another bonus when you want to whip up a sweet dessert on a sweltering summer day!

Some of you might be wondering what Raspberry Slice actually is.  Well, it's a lovely layered dessert consisting of: a bottom layer of graham cracker crumbs, a cream cheese/vanilla pudding mixture layer, berries in jell-o, and whipped cream tops it all off!

It's a super flexible dessert, and you can feel free to mix up the flavor of jell-o you use, as well as the type of berries you add in!  I chose to use a mixture of raspberry and blackberry fusion jell-o, and both raspberries and blackberries in mine.

First you get your graham cracker crumb mixture ready, and gently press into your desired serving dishes.  I used a couple of parfait glasses, a mini spring-form pan, and an 8x8 glass dish.

The above photo shows what approximately 2/3 of a cup of margarine looks like.  I usually just sort of eyeball it, and it really doesn't make too much difference if you have too much or too little.  Just keep an eye on the consistency of your crumbs, and adjust amounts as you go.

Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you start (so you don't get any weird lumps), and beat it well before adding your milk and instant pudding.  Your mixture will go really thin, and get quite frothy when you add your milk....but once you add in the instant pudding mix it will thicken right up!

Once you've poured your jell-o into each dish, add in your berries!

The amount of berries you add is totally up to you!  The measurement in the recipe is really just a guide to give you an rough idea of how much you'll need.

Add your whipped cream (and leftover toppings) right before you're about to serve, and enjoy!

Raspberry Slice

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 and 1/4 cups Graham Wafer Crumbs (or oreo crumbs)
2/3 cup Margarine

Filling:
1 package (8 oz) Cream Cheese
1 Large package of Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 and 1/2 cups of Milk

Topping:
1 LARGE package of Wild Raspberry Jello (or 2 normal packages....and feel free to mix up the flavors!)
2 cups of Water (boiling)
1 TBSP of Lemon Juice
2 to 3 cups of Raspberries (*it works well to use frozen berries here as well.....and try different berries here too!)

Whipped Cream
250 mL (approx) of Whipping Cream

1 tsp Vanilla

1-2 tsp Icing Sugar


Instructions:
1. Melt your margarine until it's completely liquid-y; and in a medium bowl, add to crumbs and mix. Press crumb mixture into a 9x13 pan OR a 9" springform pan OR several smaller serving dishes (ex. cups, bowls, etc.). 

** Save some of your crumbs to sprinkle over the top of your dessert at the very end. Refrigerate.

2. Cream your cream cheese, then slowly add milk; beat until light and fluffly. Add instant pudding and mix until thickened. Spread over crumbs.  Pop in your fridge while you get the jell-o layer ready.

3. Dissolve your raspberry jello into the boiling water; add lemon juice. Let this mixture cool down in the fridge, until it's no longer hot....and may begin to partially set.  Pour over cream cheese mixture and add berries. Refrigerate.  

*(If using frozen berries, add to jell-o and fold until partially set; then spread over cream cheese layer).

4. Mix whipping cream, adding vanilla and icing sugar to taste. Add over top of jello layer once it has set, and you're ready to serve.

5. Sprinkle the top with remaining crumbs and serve!

Let us know if you try this out!
What's your favorite summer treat?

p.s. kelsey ♥