To celebrate the summer, I thought I’d share this old school recipe made with graham crackers, crushed pineapple, cream cheese and COLD BATTLE. It was quite popular in the 70’s. It’s simple to make, but it’s served cold, so it’s refreshing and surprisingly doesn’t have any heavy flavor. This 8×8 dish can be cut into 12-15 pieces, so it serves more than you might think. Do yourself a favor and bring this favorite dessert and make it a summer 1970 to remember.
Ingredients
For the bark:
2 1/2 cups split graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup of butter
For the filling:
4 oz cream cheese (1/2 block), softened
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 (8 oz) container of frozen whipped topping (COOL WHIP), thawed
1 can of crushed pineapple, well-drained
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300F.
For the crust:
Crush the graham crackers. Also, drain the crushed pineapple.
Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick of butter) in the microwave in a medium bowl, microwaveable.
Add 2 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs to the melted butter and stir until combined.
Measure 2 COUPLES of the crumb mixture and press it firmly to the bottom of an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square baking dish (whichever you have)
Bake the crumb mixture for about 8-10 minutes and then let it cool completely.
You will have some crumb mixture (1/2 cup) to spare. Save it because you will need it for the topping.
For the filling:
In a stand mixer (or using an electric mixer), beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy.
If using a mixer, turn down the volume and add the powdered sugar slowly until it is all incorporated and smooth.
Now add a heaping tablespoon of the drained pineapple and give it a good stirring.
Then spread the cream cheese mixture over the baked and cooled graham cracker crust.
In a separate bowl, combine the whipped topping with the remaining crushed drained pineapple.
Stir well. It will become thick and lumpy.
Spread the whipped topping mixture over the cream cheese layer. I let it fall through the filling of the dough and then spread it gently with the back of my spoon.
Now, sprinkle the rest of the graham cracker crumb mixture on top.
Cover the whole dish with a plastic sheet.
Then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours before cutting and serving.