Lemon Blueberry No Bake Cheesecakes |Cooking With Amanda

Lemon Blueberry No Bake Cheesecakes Photo

I have ALWAYS loved making desserts. As a teen, I learned how to make New York Cheesecake from a gigantic American cookbook we had sitting on our bookshelf at home.

Now, mind you, this book is 100% from the 80s, which means the recipes and photos are 100% pure 80s charm as well. Think parsley on all the things. And not the flat-leaf kind, either.

Well, whatever the image situation might have been in the book, it certainly didn't keep me from making all the cheesecake, all of the time.

Far bigger problems in my cheesecake-making adventures were a) it's a little funny when a 15-year-old buys two pounds of cream cheese, a pound of butter and what felt like seven gallons of cream, b) ...there's one or two calories in all that butter, sugar, cream cheese and cream... and c) the fact that baking during summer isn't the most pleasant thing, so I was cheesecake-challenged for at least 5 months every year.

Lemon Blueberry No Bake Cheesecakes Picture

I had MAJOR cheesecake aversions while I was pregnant (thinking of it made me feel SO sick, ugh!), but slowly my love for it is coming back.

But because of a), b) and c) - I decided there had to be another way.

One that's a little healthier, since I have a 2 1/2-year-old dessert monster hanging out around here.

One that doesn't make a gigantic cake for just our little family, and one that's absolutely oven-free because SUMMER IS COMING.

Lemon Blueberry No Bake Cheesecakes Image

Hear that, Jon Snow? Summer IS coming.

So, I created these Lemon Blueberry No Bake Cheesecakes, in an effort to make cheesecake happen again.

I LOVE blueberries. And I can prove it, ha! There's this Streusel Topped Blueberry French Toast Casserole, these Healthy Blueberry Lemon Muffins, this Oatmeal Cookie Blueberry Peach Cobbler... OK, I'll stop now.

So, bottom line, blueberries had to go in there. And did they ever, because that hint-of-honey sauce? It's absolutely divine.

My favorite part with these cheesecakes though? Packing them into individual jars.

Because it makes them look incredibly cute.

It makes them PERFECT for Easter brunch, Mother's Day, summer picnics or any other situation where cute, portable mini desserts are appreciated.

So, any ordinary day in my opinion 😉

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Lemon Blueberry No Bake Cheesecakes

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Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 cup Whole Wheat Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 tablespoons Butter, melted

For the Filling:

3 sheets Unflavored Gelatin, or equivalent for 1 cup liquid
16 ounces Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup Liquid Honey
zest of one Lemon
Lemon Juice, from half a lemon
1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

For the Blueberry Sauce:

1 cup Blueberries, (frozen is fine)
2 tablespoons Liquid Honey
1 tablespoon Water

For Optional Garnish:

Whipped Cream
Fresh Blueberries
Lemon Slices
Mint Leaves

Directions

Make the Crust:

Make 6 1-cup capacity glass jars ready. I like to use Weck jars, because they're so pretty!
Stir the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and 4 tablespoons butter in a medium bowl, until all the cracker crumbs are wet. The mix should look like wet sand.
Divide the mix between the jars. There should be around 1 1/2 tablespoons of crust mix per jar. Using the flat back of a wooden spoon, press the crust down. Cover the jars and refrigerate.

Make the Filling:

Dissolve the gelatin according to the package directions.
Whisk together the Greek yogurt, honey, lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Whisk a little of the yogurt mix into the dissolved gelatin. Then quickly stir this into the bowl with the remaining Greek yogurt filling. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the chilled yogurt mix. Get the jars with the crust out and divide the yogurt filling on top. There is about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of filling per jar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, better overnight.

Make the Blueberry Sauce:

Place all ingredients for the blueberry sauce in a small saucepan. Bubble up once, then simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Chill, then top the chilled cheesecake jars with the sauce.
To finish the cheesecakes, garnish just before serving with extra cream, fresh blueberries, lemon slices and mint, if you like. The cheesecake jars keep well in the fridge for 2 days.

Notes

I find using full fat Greek yogurt is best for taste and stability, but you can use any fat content you prefer.
Please take note of the instructions on your gelatin, and use the amount recommended for 1 cup of LIQUID.
If you don't want to make your own whipped cream (though I highly recommend it!), use about 1/2 cup whipped topping.