Individual Berry No Bake Cheesecakes

These blueberry and blackberry mason jar cheesecakes are quick and easy to make. A great portable dessert for picnics and packed lunches that doubles as a make ahead dessert!
The first ever no bake cheesecake I made was from a baby weaning book almost 12 years ago, when Gracey was tiny.

Ahhh those baby days, when daytime naps were the norm and we had a billion cuddles and giggles a day.

She’s now in her second year of high school, and I think she’s about 6 months away from being taller than me. She also steals my clothes, pillages the snack cupboard and costs me a fortune in pocket money. But she’s awesome, so I’ll take all that (in the hope she stays that way and doesn’t turn into a teenage nightmare).

Anyway, back to the cheesecake.

The baby weaning one was pretty good considering it had hardly any sugar in it, and as I started to add more butter, sugar and cream to the grown up version, I came to the conclusion that I could eat a whole lot of cheesecake.

I’ve got to admit, I’m not big on baked cheesecakes though……
I think I’ve only ever baked two (whereas I’ve made hundreds of no-bake cheesecakes) and the extra time, effort and finger crossing (so the top doesn’t crack) is usually enough to make me stick to the no-bake version.

We’re off to New York in March, so maybe a few baked cheesecakes over there will change my mind, but for now, no-bake cheesecakes are the favourite!

I often make big ole’ cheescakes – like this humongous Snickers cheesecake or this spiced pecan caramel one. But today I’m making individual mason jars. For 4 reasons:

1. They’re portable – and who doesn’t like carrying a cheesecake around in their handbag for emergencies?
2. They’re actually pretty big – unless you have some really tiny mason jars. More cheesecake can only be a good thing.
3. There’s no risk of crust breakage, wonky slices, arguing over who has the big slice, and somebody nicking all the topping – as with a regular cheesecake.
4. They’re cute!

We start off by crushing some digestives or graham crackers.

You can also use gluten free digestives if you’re looking for a GF version. Or you could swap for hobnobs for an extra special treat (sorry my US friends – I believe you don’t have hobnobs over there unless you want to bulk buy from your Hobnobs from Amazon🙂
Then we add melted butter and brown sugar to those crushed biscuits.

and spoon the mixture into your jars for the cheesecake base.

Next whisk up double (heavy) cream until thick, then whisk in cream cheese, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. Spoon or pipe that on the biscuit base.

Finally we’re going to heat some blackberries and blueberries with sugar, lemon juice and a little cornflour (cornstarch) slurry.

The berries will break down, releasing lots of lovely juice, and the cornstarch will thicken the liquid.

We let that cool then spoon on top and add a little lemon zest.

That’s it. 10 minutes and done.

Eat them right away, or put lids on and they should keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Can I make them gluten free?

Yes! Swap the digestives for the same weight of gluten free digestives.

Can I make ahead?

Yes, make the cheesecakes, then cover and refrigerate them. They should keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Can I freeze them?

Unfortunately not. The cream cheese mixture doesn’t do well in the freezer and the cheesecake base would end up soft.

What size are the mason jars?

I’m using 200ml (7 ounce) preserving jars – they fit in quite a lot of cheesecake, so you can go smaller and make more cheesecakes if you like.

Can I swap out the blueberries and blackberries?

Yes, strawberries and raspberries work well. Also black cherry pie filling makes an even easier topping. Just spoon it right on!

The Individual Berry No Bake Cheesecakes Recipe:

Individual Berry No Bake Cheesecakes

These blueberry and blackberry mason jar cheesecakes are so quick and easy! Great for picnics and packed lunches. Gluten Free instructions included.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 15 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Keyword: no bake, picnic, summer recipe

Servings: 6 Jars

Author: Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

Biscuit base:

• 210 g digestives (or 7.5oz /14 whole graham crackers) - the gluten-free variety work great too
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• pinch of salt

Berry layer:

• 175 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries
• 225 g (1 ½ cups) fresh blackberries
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 100 g (1/2 cup) caster (or fine granulated) sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

Cheesecake layer:

• 180 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
• 2 x 225g (2x 8 oz) packs Philidelphia cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 85 g (¾ cup) confectioner’s sugar
• Zest of one lemon

Instructions

• Place the biscuits graham crackers into a large bag or bowl and crush into crumbs using the end of a rolling pin. Add the melted butter, brown sugar and salt and mix until the crumbs absorb the butter.
• Place the blueberries, blackberries, lemon juice, water and sugar in a pan and heat gently until the berries start to break down (about 5 minutes).
• Stir in the cornflour mixture and heat through, continuously stirring for another 30 seconds until the berry mixture has thickened. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
• Pour the cream into a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until thick. Add the cream cheese, vanilla and confectioners’s sugar and whisk again until combined. The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape.
• Divide the cookie crumbs between 6 mason jars (mine are 200ml/7oz jars) and press down with the back of a spoon.
• Spoon or pipe the cream cheese mixture on top, then spoon over the cooled berry mixture.
• Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve – or place a lid on and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Can I make them gluten free?

Yes! Swap the digestives for the same weight of gluten free digestives.

Can I make ahead?

Yes, make the cheesecakes, then cover and refrigerate them. They should keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Can I freeze them?

Unfortunately not. The cream cheese mixture doesn't do well in the freezer and the cheesecake base would end up soft.

.

What size are the mason jars?

I'm using 200ml (7 ounce) preserving jars - they fit in quite a lot of cheesecake, so you can go smaller and make more cheesecakes if you like.

.

Can I swap out the blueberries and blackberries?

Yes, strawberries and raspberries work well. Also black cherry pie filling makes an even easier topping!

.

Nutritional Information is per mason jar of cheesecake.

These are large cheesecakes, so if you wanted to serve them in smaller pots, the calorie content would be 569 per pot if you were making 8 pots, or 379 per pot for 12 pots.

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Facts

Individual Berry No Bake Cheesecakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 759 Calories from Fat 432

% Daily Value*

Fat 48g74%

Saturated Fat 26g130%

Cholesterol 143mg48%

Sodium 490mg20%

Potassium 264mg8%

Carbohydrates 76g25%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 54g60%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 1780IU36%

Vitamin C 13.1mg16%

Calcium 121mg12%

Iron 1.9mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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