Mexican Lime Yogurt Dessert with Cookies Recipe
This dessert is made of layers of creamy lime yogurt, crushed cookies, and a hint of cinnamon, inspired by the Mexican love of citrus and simple chilled sweets. It’s a bit like a no-bake cheesecake in a glass, but lighter and quicker to prepare. It’s perfect after lunch on a hot day, when you don’t feel like turning on the oven.
This yogurt dessert draws on the Mexican love of citrus – lime gives it a distinctly refreshing character that perfectly balances the creaminess of the yogurt and cream. The buttery cinnamon cookie layer is reminiscent of a cheesecake base, but the whole dessert is much lighter and made without using the oven. It’s a great way to create an eye-catching layered dessert in glasses in just a few minutes.
Chef's tips
The yogurt and cream should be well chilled – the cream will whip faster and be more stable that way. Crush the biscuits so that there are still tiny pieces rather than dusty powder; this gives the base a pleasant texture and keeps it from turning to mush once you add the cream. When grating the lime, remove only the green part of the zest – the white pith is bitter and can spoil the flavor.
How to serve
This dessert tastes best well chilled, served straight from the fridge in glasses or small jars. It pairs beautifully with iced coffee or homemade watermelon or orange agua fresca. It’s ideal after a light summer lunch on the balcony or as a quick, “wow effect” dessert for a spontaneous get-together with friends.
Ingredients
- Greek yogurt thick - 400 g
- 30% cream chilled - 100 ml
- lime you need the juice and grated zest - 2 piece
- icing sugar or to taste - 3 tablespoon
- butter biscuits crushed into small pieces - 120 g
- butter melted - 40 g
- ground cinnamon - 0.5 teaspoon
- vanillin sugar - 1 teaspoon
- strawberries or other fruit chopped, for decoration; optional - 100 g
Preparation
- Put the biscuits into a zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin or the bottom of a glass until you get fine crumbs, but not a complete powder.
- In a bowl, mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter and cinnamon until all the crumbs are lightly moistened and start to stick together when pressed in your hand.
- Divide the cookie mixture between the bottoms of 4 glasses or dessert cups, pressing lightly with a teaspoon to form an even layer. Set aside.
- Finely grate the zest from one lime (only the green part), and squeeze the juice from both limes, making sure no seeds get in.
- In a separate bowl, whip the chilled cream with a mixer or whisk until thick and forming soft peaks, but not completely stiff.
- In a large bowl, add the Greek yogurt, icing sugar, vanillin sugar, lime juice and zest. Mix with a spoon or whisk until smooth and slightly fluffy.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the yogurt mixture using a spatula or spoon, moving from bottom to top so you don’t lose the airiness.
- Spoon a few tablespoons of the lime-yogurt cream over the cookie layer in the glasses and smooth the tops. If you like, you can make two thin layers: cream–cookies–cream.
- Arrange the chopped strawberries or other fruit on top. Chill the dessert in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the mixture sets slightly and cools well.
Storage
Store the assembled desserts in the fridge, covered, and eat within 1–2 days. The cookie base will gradually soften but will still taste good. Do not freeze, as the texture of the yogurt cream will deteriorate.
