{DIY Favors} Cheesecake in a Jar!

So one of the most popular posts here on T30SB is DIY Cake in a Jar. Funny thing is, I’ve never made them! Irony at work.

So when I was flipping through the January issue of Martha Stewart Living and saw this:

I was pretty sure I needed to give it a shot. I mean, I gotta at least TRY to walk the DIY talk, right? My first concern? I‘ve never made a cheesecake in my life. Not in a jar or a pan, so this was definitely a new road for me. And guess what? I don’t even really like cheesecake. It’s the very last thing I’m going to order on the dessert menu. Why? It’s just so heavy and so sweet. So we’ll see how all this goes, right?

I had some canning jars on hand as well as all the recipe ingredients, so totally just needed to give it a go. I didn’t have the exact ingredients on hand, but every DIY project involves a bit of “winging it.”

Do you like the clever coordination of ingredients? Well, I left out the sugar and preserves. Lucky thing there’s a list of them too! I used low fat sour cream and low fat cream cheese because that’s what was in my fridge.
Mini Cheesecake Jars by Martha Stewart modified slightly by T30SB.

• For the Cheesecake

  • 8 ounces low fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 4 ounces fat free sour cream (1/2 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon fruit preserves or jam (about a small jar of preserves).

• For the Graham Topping

  • 1/2 cup finely ground graham crackers (from 4 crackers)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Get your jars set up in a deep pan. I had two large ones and four small, but you’ll want the small ones. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Make the cheesecakes: Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes more. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Raise speed to medium. Add sour cream, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat for 3 minutes.

Divide batter among the jars, filling each two-thirds full. I knew trying to spoon batter in the jars would be a giant-ass mess, so I put the batter into this pitcher thing. It was a good idea.

Transfer jars to a deep baking dish; add enough boiling water to dish to reach halfway up the sides of the jars. Cover dish with foil; cut 8 slits into top to vent. Please note my perfect pan covered in perfect tinfoil. NOT.

The recipe says to bake until set in the center, about 25 minutes. It took my oven more like 31 minutes. I won’t tell you how I made a mess putting the giant pan filled with water and jars of cheesecake batter back in the oven. Let’s just say that it could have been much, much worse and there was only one dead cheesecake soldier from the snafu.

Let cool. Refrigerate overnight to set.

Meanwhile, make the graham topping. I used my Cuisinart mini food processor which is one of the most used appliances in my kitchen. They aren’t too expensive ($40) and you can get them cheaper using a 20% off coupon from Bed, Bath & Beyond (you’ll get 20% off and $5 off coupons in the mail if you register with them, look through wedding magazines as well as daily mailers). You can also get them SUPER cheap at Costco.

 

Stir together graham-cracker crumbs and butter. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 minutes. Just pop the crumbs in the oven on the bottom rack beneath the cooking cheesecakes. Let cool.

Since the cheesecakes need to set overnight, just put on the lids and stick them in the fridge. Keep the graham crumbs in an airtight container, but not in the fridge.

The original recipe says to top each cheesecake with 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons preserves. Like I’ve got time for that, Martha. Make it about 2 scoops with a regular spoon and cover the cheesecake top with a pretty layer. Divide graham topping among jars. For me, the best thing about cheesecake is the crust, so I was heavy handed with the “crust” part of this.

So of course I had to make it look all pretty. I just took one of the many vintage lace doilies I have laying around and tied it to the top with some vintage lace. HOW CUTE, RIGHT?

But the real test? How does is taste? I took one of the larger jars that didn’t look quite as pretty as the short ones for a taste test.

I have to say, not bad. I’m not sure if the consistency is perfect Martha-esque cheesecake consistency, but it’s good. In fact, I think because I used low fat cream cheese and low fat sour cream, it wasn’t nearly as heavy or sweet as regular cheesecake.

OK, but you want to know the skinny? I would pass on these as wedding favors if you had to make 30 or more. Making 6 was pretty easy, but it’s not like you can bake lots of these all at once, what with the water filled baking dish and all. They’ll keep in the fridge for a while if you want to do them in steps. But what about the wedding day? You gotta take them out of refrigeration, transport them and how long will they sit out before your guests get to them? Who wants tepid cheesecake? Ew. Not me. Room temperature dairy stuffs definitely skeeves me out. And if you took them from refrigeration direct to guest, then your jar’s gonna get all foggy and shit. Nah, I’d pass.

However, that being said, I think this is a fantastic dinner party option. I’m going to guess this is MUCH easier than baking a REAL cheesecake. Make it the night before, scoop the toppings on before your guests arrive and everyone has their own mini cheesecake! Everyone wants their own individual cake. It makes you feel special.

Yes, it does.

Update on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 8:39AM by Louise

I made these on Sunday. The Candyman has been eating them DAILY since. He's running low on cheesecake jars and isn't happy. These really are GOOD. I had some of The Candyman's cooked in the small jars and the consistency was light and creamy, yet firm like cheesecake. Honestly, I think I might have made some of the best cheesecake I've ever had. And seriously, other than cookies, I can't bake shit. It might taste good, but it's ugly. If it's pretty, it tastes like shit. So, the fact that these are both pretty and taste good is really something for me!

Comments

[flo]

Wonder how they would do in the little white custard cups/ bowls - like you have the butter in in your pic? This would be great for a dinner party if that would work:) Do you think the bowls would be too thick for it to work?

[Louise]

Flo/Sis - I think the ramekins are too small. Or maybe if you did the ramekins, lower the cook time a little, since you'll have less batter in them. But you need taller sides to hold the toppings, so maybe not. You'd go to all the work with like three or four bites per ramekins. And I just don't think that's fair to the guest. They deserve more cheescake than that, right?

[flo]

Oh yeah, couldn't find the word "ramekins" when I posted:) Thanks for the feedback. Maybe I will look for some other container. I LOVE cheesecake!

[Jennie]

Mah mommah made these cheesecakes for my graduation party that were Nilla wafers with cheesecake in cupcake wrappers. The ones with mini chocolate chips were my favorite. And I'm 90% sure that she didn't use the water in the pan. Lemmee know if you want the recipe.

[Louise]

@Jennie - Interesting! And now that I think about it, I've have those kind of cheesecake cupcakes before. And the ones with mini-choc chips are awesome! I wonder if the water has anything to do with the containers being glass?

[Louise]

Oh, and i just saw THIS on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/273664114826709519/