Community Cookbook: Make Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake with Gladys Mosley of Cape Girardeau

Gladys Mosley of Cape Girardeau says she would rather be out mowing the lawn than doing anything inside the house. However, she does love to bake desserts, a hobby that started in childhood and kept her out of trouble.

“There were seven kids growing up, and I was right in the middle,” Mosley says. “My older sister was responsible for stuff around the house, but I was the spoiled one. I never had to do much.”

But she did enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies. And when she attended summer activities at the old May Greene School, she learned to make even more sweet treats.

Baking is a skill that has stuck with her throughout the years. While she continues to make old favorites, Mosley says she is always on the lookout for something new. Her friends at the Golden Angels, a group of seniors who meet weekly to talk, craft and learn new things, are often the guinea pigs trying out her baked goods.

“They’re like family,” says Mosley, who joined the group after retiring in 2016 from her work in the Intensive English Program at Southeast Missouri State University. “Different organizations come in to talk to us about stuff for senior citizens. We keep our bodies and minds active and get out of the house. We all bring a dish, but I’m usually the dessert person.”

As far as desserts go, Mosley says she would like to find a good recipe for pies, but often sticks to cookies and cake. A few years back, after struggling through a familiar recipe for Milnot cheesecake, she sought out a new one, the Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake. It was nostalgic, as she remembered eating the cake as a young girl at the Woolworth’s diner in downtown Cape.

“One time, my Milnot wouldn’t whip. I thought my Milnot was bad, but I called the company, and they had changed the formula,” Mosley says. “This recipe tastes similar, and I like it because it’s light.”

Since switching to the Woolworth recipe, Mosley has been satisfied with the results. And while she sometimes swaps out the lemon Jell-O mix for lime or strawberry, she always uses real butter in the graham cracker crust. It’s a non-negotiable.

“If I wake up and feel like baking, I may bake all day,” Mosley says. “Cooking is a stress reliever for me. Then, I just give it away.”

Mosley bakes peanut butter cookies for her pastor at True Vine Ministries, but she’s also been known to drop off food for funerals, church functions or even at doctor’s offices around town. She likes to bless her neighbors, too, but mostly gives her baked goods to her Golden Angels community.

According to Mosley, they’ve been a great support to her since adopting her granddaughter in 2019 and becoming a foster parent in 2021.

“I love that I can help change the wrong in a child’s life at an early age,” Mosley says. “The handing back over is not easy, but I hope that I give them a chance.”

A cheesecake made by Gladys Mosley sits on her kitchen table in Cape Girardeau. Mosley found the Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake recipe after struggling through a familiar recipe for Milnot cheesecake.Megan Casasola

Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups honey graham crackers, finely crushed 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1⁄2 cups (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling

1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 box (3 ounces) lemon Jell-O mix

1⁄2 cup boiling water

1⁄2 cup cold water

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk, chilled in freezer for 30 minutes

Instructions

Chill the bowl of a stand mixer, the whisk attachment and the can of evaporated milk in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. (This will help get peaks when whipping the evaporated milk.) Do not skip this step.

Crust

Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, add graham crackers and sugar, and mix together. Add melted butter, and mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated (no dry spots). Reserve 1⁄4 cup of the graham cracker mixture and set aside. Press the remaining crumbs firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Filling

In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer. Add vanilla and mix until well blended (2 to 3 minutes). Set aside. In a separate large bowl, add Jell-O mix and boiling water. Whisk until the Jell-O mix dissolves (1 to 2 minutes). Add cold water, and set the mixture in the refrigerator for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the filling, but do not let the gelatin set. To a stand mixer, add the chilled bowl and whisk attachment. Add the evaporated milk and mix on high until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes). Add the Jell-O mixture, and continue to whisk for 30 more seconds. Add cream cheese mixture, and whisk for 30 more seconds. Pour mixture into the pan, and top with the reserved graham cracker mixture. Chill overnight before serving.