This came about when I was searching for alternative cheesecake crusts. The cheesecake is light and fluffy and NO-BAKE, while the crust is basically made of macaroon. As an aside: Can you think of a lovelier smell to invade your home than toasted coconut? There’s probably a lot but that’s definitely one of them!

Crust
1 ½ cup flaked coconut
3 tbsp graham crumbs
3 tbsp. butter; melted

Cheesecake
1 envelope unflavoured gelatin
¼ cup cold water
¾ cup sugar
2 pk. 8 oz. cream cheese; softened
¼ cup lime juice
1 tbsp lime zest
Green food colouring
1 ½ cup heavy cream; whipped to stiff peaks
Toasted coconut for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, combine flaked coconut, graham crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of a greased 9″ springform pan.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool completely.

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand for 1 minute. Stir in sugar and cook on low heat until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in gelatin mixture. Add lime juice and zest and beat until blended. Add 1-2 drops of green food colouring. Fold in whipped heavy cream and pour cooled crust. Garnish with toasted coconut and chill cheesecake until ready to serve.