Dessert in a jar! Here’s a clever way of bringing individual little cheesecakes to a picnic or BBQ: bake them in Mason or Weck jars, screw on the lids and voila! Portable! I took these along on a picnic and they worked out great. If strawberries aren’t your thing, top with any other fruit (blueberry or mango might be good options) or even chocolate or caramel sauce. A totally decadent idea!
Ingredients
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 whole graham crackers, ground)
2 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons butter, melted
4 8-ounce packages of Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
for the topping
3 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, quartered or sliced
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
mint, to garnish (optional)
shipped cream (optional)
You will also need 12 small jars (i.e. Mason or Weck jars)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325F. Spray 12 (8-ounce) small mason jars with non-stick cooking spray, making sure to spray the bottoms so the crust doesn’t stick.
Blend the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons of sugar and melted butter in a bowl. Place about 3 tablespoons of the crumbs into each mason jar and press down to make the crust.
In a large mixer bowl, mix the room temperature cream cheese with the 3/4 cup of sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until well incorporated. Fill each mason jar with about 1/2 cup of the filling, leaving room at the top for your topping.
Place the jars in a large roasting pan. Fill the pan with hot water halfway up the mason jars. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove jars with tongs and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the topping: Combine strawberries, sugar and lemon zest in a small pan over medium heat. Cook until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thickened slightly. This will take about 10 minutes. Don’t worry if it bubbles up a lot while boiling; that is to be expected. Let cool completely.
To serve, spoon a bit of the strawberries over each cheesecake. Refrigerate cheesecakes until ready to serve and serve with whipped cream or mint to garnish (optional). You can also screw on the lips to “take with you” on a picnic, but remember to keep them chilled and upright.
