The Popular Cookies That Will Make Your Holiday Cheesecake Extra Festive And Sweet

Every baker is on the lookout for inspiration whenever the holidays roll around. The same cookie and cake recipes can get old when you repeat them year after year, and there's only so much a few sprinkles and some food coloring can do. But if you're looking for an easy way to amp up your holiday cheesecake, then we have just the tip for you: use your favorite Pillsbury Christmas cookies as the base.

Pillsbury sells a range of festive ready-to-bake sugar cookies during the holiday season, and pre-cut shapes are perfect for layering together to create a sweet cheesecake base. As they bake, the edges of the cookies will melt together and the colorful Christmas designs will remain, creating a festive holiday pattern for your guests to discover as they eat.

A few bakers have tested out the hack online, but we first discovered it through a Youtube video created by @JustinesKitchen. In the video, Justine stacks squares of the Pillsbury Shape Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie Dough in circles inside of a greased springform pan. She faces the cookies in the same direction to create a pattern, then bakes them at 350 Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. The result is a perfect, gap-free disc that makes an ideal base for a no-bake cheesecake.

You don't want to overcook the cookies, so a no-bake cheesecake works best with this hack. However, you can experiment with the filling. A no-bake strawberry cheesecake will provide a festive color, or you can top a chocolate peppermint cheesecake with crushed up candy canes. You can also switch up which cookies you use. At the time of writing, Pillsbury was selling Reindeer Sugar Cookie Dough, Snowman Sugar Cookie Dough, and Elf and Grinch themed versions.

You'll probably need a whole pack of the cookies to make up your base, and some cookies can bake faster than others — so start checking it after about 12 minutes. You want the base to have a golden color, especially around the edges, but you don't want it to completely crisp up. If you want to add some extra cookies to the top of the cheesecake, feel free to grab another pack, and if you notice any gaps in your pan, just cut up some extra cookies to fill them.

If you want the pattern to be properly exposed, you'll want to reserve a few of the cookies for the topping. The colors of the cookies will be evident no matter what, but the classic, Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie Dough creates a solid swirl of red and green that works well as a festive base. Then, you're free to grab a mis-matching pack to bake separately and place on the top. It's not the end of the world, but no one wants a squished Elf or Grinch at Christmas time!