These no bake Red, White, and Blue Dream Bars are not only patriotic but also incredibly creamy, cold, and refreshing! With an easy cookie crust, creamy cheesecake filling, and blue raspberry and cherry cream gelatin layers, they're a crowd-pleaser that will have your guests begging for the recipe!
1 ½cupsNilla Wafer Cookie Crumbsabout 45-50 cookies
5tablespoonsunsalted butter
Blue Raspberry Cream Layer
3ouncesblue raspberry jello
½cupboiling water
½cup cold water
4ouncescream cheeseroom temperature
10-12dropsblue food coloring
1cupCool Whip
Cheesecake Layer
8ouncescream cheeseroom temperature
1cuppowdered sugar
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1 cupCool Whip
Cherry Cream Layer
3ouncescherry jellocan use raspberry if you want to keep that flavor profile, but you'll most likely need a bit more red food coloring.
½cupboiling water
½cupcold water
4ouncescream cheeseroom temperature
2teaspoonsred food coloring
1cupCool Whip
Instructions
Nilla Wafer Crust
Line an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with parchment, so that you can easily remove the bars to evenly slice and serve.
In a medium bowl, melt the 5 tablespoons of butter in a microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir and melt for another 5-10 seconds, if necessary.
In a food processor, pulse the Nilla Wafers until they are fine crumbs. Add the cookie crumbs to the melted butter and mix with a rubber spatula well incorporated.
Pour into the prepared baking pan and spread, pressing down to create an even crust. Place pan into the freezer while preparing the next layer for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Blue Raspberry Gelatin
Into a 2-cup measuring glass, mix the blue raspberry gelatin with ½ cup boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add the ½ cup cold water and stir. Place into refrigerator until completely cooled, but not set - about 8-10 minutes.
Blue Raspberry Cream Layer
In a mixing bowl, beat or whisk the 4 ounces of the cream cheese until smooth.
Mix the gelatin again, and very slowly pour it into the cream cheese while mixing everything together. I have used both an electric mixer and a whisk to incorporate the gelatin into the cream cheese and had better results and less cream cheese clumps using some good ol' elbow grease and a whisk.
Mix in one cup of the Cool Whip or Stabilized Whipped Cream and blue food coloring until well incorporated. You can always add more food coloring if you'd like it a darker hue. Once completely smooth and an even color, pour over the frozen crust. Refrigerate to chill and thicken for a minimum of one hour.
Cheesecake Layer
In a mixing bowl, beat 8 ounces of cream cheese, the 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together until smooth and creamy. With a rubber spatula, fold in one cup of the Cool Whip.
Place many small dollops of the cheesecake mixture onto the blue raspberry layer and with an offset spatula, spread evenly. I say many small dollops as opposed to one big one or bigger ones so that as you spread, the cream cheese doesn't dig into the blue gelatin. Place into refrigerator while preparing the red cherry layer.
Red Cherry Gelatin
Into a 2-cup measuring glass, mix the cherry gelatin with ½ cup boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add the ½ cup cold water and stir. Place into refrigerator until completely cooled, but not set - about 8-10 minutes.
Red Cherry Cream Layer
In a mixing bowl, beat or whisk the 4 ounces of the cream cheese until smooth.
Upon removing the gelatin from the fridge, mix well, and again, using your electric mixer or a whisk, very slowly pour it into the cream cheese while mixing everything together.
Mix in one cup of the Cool Whip or Stabilized Whipped Cream and 2 teaspoons of red food coloring until well incorporated. Gently pour the cherry cream onto the cheesecake layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Place into the refrigerator overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours.
When slicing, remove the bars from the entire pan by lifting them out in the parchment. Run a large knife under warm but not hot water as it will start to melt the gelatin. Dry it off, and then slice through the bars, repeating with each cut. This will help make clean cuts. Serve topped with red, white, and blue sprinkles and additional whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Use the amounts of water in this recipe required to mix the gelatins. DO NOT use the amounts listed on the boxes. It is less than the manufacturer requires, but we want a more stable gelatin and less of it. Also know that if either gelatin mixture is left in the refrigerator for more than 10 minutes, the gelatin will harden and form making it difficult to create creamy and smooth layers.