No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar

A few weeks ago we were preparing to host over 20 adults for lunch after church on Sunday.  I wanted to serve a nice meal, with a good dessert, but I didn't want to do a ton of work in the morning before church, or as people were arriving to eat.  After some brainstorming, online research, and input from my husband, I landed on a dessert recipe that ended up being perfect.

This cheesecake recipe is the easiest thing to make, it tastes good, and it looks pretty in the little mason jar.  I made a chocolate cheesecake and a plain one, then topped the plain cheesecake with fresh blueberries and raspberries, and the chocolate ones were topped with toffee bits.

I used various sizes of mason jars, just whatever I had in the kitchen.  If I was making these for a shower or bringing them to a friend's house, I would opt for those cute wide-mouthed small jars.  They are the perfect size, travel well, and would look super cute with a fun label on them.

Ready for the recipe?  I think you'll be shocked at just how easy these are.  I mixed them together the night before and then threw the fruit and candy on in the morning before church.  The toughest part was finding enough room to store 25 of these in my already packed fridge!

No Bake Cheesecake in a Jar

Plain Cheesecake:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*For the crust, I purchased a box of graham cracker crumbs and followed the recipe on the back of the box.  I then placed enough of the mixture into each jar to give it enough of the crust taste.  I refrigerated the jars like this for at least an hour before finishing.*

Combine all ingredients and spoon about 1/2 cup mixture onto prepared crust.  Top with fruit {or other toppings} of choice.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.


Chocolate Cheesecake:
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup chocolate syrup

*For the crust on the chocolate ones, I purchased two pre-made chocolate cookie crusts {find it in the baking aisle} and crushed it up to make my cookie crumbs.  After placing in the bottom of the jars, I refrigerated these for at least an hour before putting the filling in.*

Combine filling ingredients and place 1/2 cup filling on top of prepared crust.  Top with toffee pieces, raspberries, or chocolate shavings.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

source:  slightly adapted from I am Baker