I’m fairly certain that I’ve discussed my lack of love for the great outdoors, so it’s safe to say you’ll never hear me writing about long hikes in the woods or camping anywhere other than on a deck chair at a five star resort (Hey, I can dream, right?). Not to say that I am not fond of the fresh air and scenery, I just like to keep a screen between me and the bugs.
Needless to say, I don’t last long at picnics in the park or anywhere outdoors for that matter. Usually an annoying fly or buzzing bee will send me into a fit within 20 minutes and I’ll sit there contemplating my escape route or the idea of eating in my air conditioned vehicle.
Problem is, I am a big pan of picnic food. Hot dogs, potato salad and watermelon rank pretty high on my hierarchy of good eats, so I’ll usually suffer through it as long as I am armed with cold bottle of water and a fly swatter.
Then, a couple of friends came up with the idea of a virtual picnic. A Virtual Picnic for the Planet was totally doable because well, it doesn’t require me hanging outside! Plus, I think our planet is pretty rocking and I totally dig the idea of coming together to make a difference.
The Nature Conservancy has a website that is devoted to Picnic for the Planet. They have a Meet Up page which allows you to connect with people in your area to plan your Picnic for the Planet. They also describe 5 Easy Actions that are good for the Earth and help you to reduce your impact on the Earth.
Eat Smart
Be proactive, know where your food comes from and who it impacts.
Eat Local
Take advantage of your farmer’s market. Try to purchase food that is in season and locally grown.
Eat Sustainably
Eat sustainable seafood — one of the only things that we eat that we still get from the wild.
Eat Green
Eat more fruits and vegetables — it’s good for your health and the planet’s
Eat Out
Join us in the Picnic for the Planet!
For today’s Virtual Picnic for the Planet, I have made Cheesecakes in a Jar with fresh mixed berries. These Cheesecakes in a Jar are simple, portable, decadent and truly couldn’t be any more adorable.
I simply scooped my cheesecake batter into small canning jars, baked them in a water bath and topped with fresh berries. The lids allow these individually portioned desserts to be placed into a cooler, so it makes them the perfect picnic dessert to wow a crowd!
I would love to hear about your plans for this Earth Day. Will you be picnicking?
Make sure to check out the Virtual Picnic for the Planet link up below to see all the great recipes my fellow picknickers came up with. You’ll have your Picnic for the Planet menu figured out faster than you can say bug spray!
Simple Bites | Pressed Sandwiches
My Baking Addiction | Mixed Berry Cheesecakes in a Jar
Bluebonnets & Brownies | Nanny’s Potato Salad
Gourmande in the Kitchen | Honey Ginger Lemonade
Dine & Dish | Sangria
Add A Pinch | Herbed Tortellini Salad
Bakers Royale | Fruit Recipe Roundup
Three Many Cooks | Black and White Caviar
Food for My Family | Homemade Potato Chips and Avocado Ranch Dip
Sugarcrafter | Apple Hand Pies
Tickled Red | Tangy Potato Salad
What’s Cooking with Kids | Kale Chips
Confessions of a Cookbook Queen | Mini Lemonade Cakes
TidyMom | Picnic Pies in a Jar
April 22nd, 2011
Cheesecake in a Jar
Yield: 4-6 servings depending on size of jars used
Ingredients:
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
zest of one lemon
2 packages cream cheese, 8 oz each; room temperature
2 large eggs; room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh berries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with your paddle attachment, combine the sugar and lemon zest and mix until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add in the cream cheese and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.
4. Pour batter into canning jars until about ¾ of the way full. Place jars into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the sides of the jars.
5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have a little jiggle to it.
6. Carefully remove the cheesecake jars from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cheesecakes are completely cooled, place them into the refrigerator for at least 5 hours. Top will fresh berries and serve.
Notes:
- For glossy berries, simply add 1 tablespoon of hot water to ¼ cup apricot preserves. Blend until combined and thinned out. Place the berries in a bowl and gently brush and toss the berries with the apricot and water mixture.
- If you are not a fan of lemon, simply omit the zest.
- If you are missing the graham cracker crust, serve with graham sticks.
- The jars pictured above are Weck (7.4 ounce) Tulip Jars.
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{ 101 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m in love with everything in a jar lately!! and cheesecake sounds perfect!!
Love it – such an awesome idea and so cute – if you tied ribbons around these I would just about die from how pretty they are.
I’ll eat cheesecake any which way I can get it! A portable jar to the beach…oh yeah! I’m all over that
Happy Earth Day love.
Great (and pretty) idea!
Genius! I love cheesecake so very much and now that it can be portable, even better. Happy Earth Day!
Forget the picnic! My husband would be the envy of the lunchroom if I packed one of these in his lunchbox.
I love this idea! Perfect for a picnic!
These are so precious and look fabulous!
Seems as the “in a jar” craze is taking over the blogosphere! I love cheesecake, no matter how it is served. This looks so delicious!
How adorable are these!? Definitely putting in the “to try” list for this summer!
These look so great! I love the idea of having them in individual jars.
Ok, is there anything that you post that I don’t totally SWOON over? Amazing!
What a great way to serve cheesecake, especially at a picnic!
yenno how to solve the outdoor picnic bug problems? picnic on the beach
no bugs at all
and im loving these cheesecakes in a jar, soo cute!
GORGEOUS! If I could just pluck one of those blueberries right out of my computer screen, I’d be a happy camper!
I love these jars! Oh my gosh..
What precious little jars! I bet you could use those to make pot de creme, flan and lots of other fun dishes. Thanks for sharing.
These cheesecake pots are lovely, and I’m drooling over your Weck jars. Looks like I need to order some more of my own to make these in.
What a fun idea!
For those with too little time for baking, Decadence Cheesecakes makes nice cheesecakes in jars. But I do prefer the Weck design…
Love this idea, and your jars are so cute! I’ll eat cheesecake in whatever form it comes in!
Where did you get the adorable jars?
They are from Terrain and come in a set of 4. They are Weck Tulip Jars.
-Jamie
Whatever picnic blanket these cheesecakes are on you will find me close by. They look great!
A simple cheese cake with little acidity is my all time fav
I like the presentation you made, everybody gets their equal share 
Wow, I’m making this for breakfast tomorrow!
Love this! Looks so cute and delicious, especially with the berries on top!
Your photographs are so pretty with those bright berries and pretty little jars! Love!
Laura
I love picnics and foods in a jar are the best! Such a fun way to present a dish
Your cheesecake looks wonderful!
What a beautiful and elegant dessert to bring on a picnic, a great way to end a meal.
HOLY YUM. What a darling little idea!!
I am loving the food in jars trend and cheesecake in jars! Wow. All I have to say is, “where is this picnic? I’m on my way.”
These are soooo cute! I love cheesecake and making them single serving’s brilliant!
I love these, Jamie! They look both delicious and adorable (so cute that they are in their own jars!) These would be so perfect for a picnic because they would transport very well. Hey, come to NYC – I will give you the full tour of the park and all sweet treats in the city
xo
These cheesecakes in a jar are so cute! I love cheesecake!
Looks so very cute and yummy…
Such clever presentation. Thank you for sharing thie site. Totally love the Picnic for the Planet concept. Your photos are just beautiful!
I love this idea. I’m super into the outdoors so I would love to make many of these virtual picnic recipes and bring them to a real picnic with me! Great photos too.
I am seriously wowed. I totally want to picnic with you!!!
Thanks for joining us on this virtual picnic. Let’s do it again soon!
OK, I’m completely in love with the adorable jars! And to add cheesecake to them…yum.
Those have to be the cutest cheesecake desserts I’ve ever seen! I love that they are already portioned out, which makes serving so easy if you are dining on a picnic blanket!
These are so cute! I have a themed linky party going on at my blog and I’d like to invite you to stop by and link up your themed treat! This week’s theme is strawberries! Can’t wait!
http://cupcakeapothecary.blogspot.com/2011/04/bakers-monday.html
I am just like you about the outdoors. In fact, a cricket entered my apt tonight, and after screaming and running around like crazy, I had to call my colleague over to get rid of it! I love picnic food, too, and I must bookmark this recipe for a future indoor picnic haha. Thanks!
Love your cheesecakes, love your little jars!
Great post! The cheesecake in a jar is brilliant
I saw this photo on the Top 9 yesterday and it immediately caught my eye (sorry, I’m so far behind in comments!!). I’m coveting those little cups you have, simply adorable! I would never have thought of making a cheesecake like that, but it’s ideal. I’m really liking the individual portions lately as opposed to the whole cake. Nicely done!!
I luv what you did here with the cheesecakes in the jar. I adore mini desserts and the portion control it offers…but most of all their presentation. I can’t wait to try these cheesecakes. Congrats on the Top 9 yesterday! =)
Love the idea. I was thinking I could do some thing similar in shot glasses for a finish to a dinner by the bite menu.
What beautiful desserts!! I am totally stealing this idea.
I love love LOVE this idea! Great for a summer get together. Can’t wait to try it out!
I love making desserts in a jar, and cheesecake is another great one to add to the list. These look very scrumptious!
It looks wonderful, can take anywhere
I love the idea & of course the recipe yummyy
best idea ever for a lovely picnic, easy to transport and carry and so beautiful. GREAT idea!. thanks
where do we get these mini jars from? any website?
Love these, Jamie. They are so darling and so handy for any type of travel picnic or not!
Virtual picnic, I love it! haha I like how honest you are about the bugs + outdoors. I think I like the outdoors, but within 5 minutes I’m complaining about how dirty I am or the mosquito bites I’m collecting. It’s my first time here (found you through foodgawker) and I loooove your recipes! Definitely subscribing
What a wonderful way to enjoy cheesecake…I love the berry topping too. I like the outdoors well enough, if the weather’s okay and there are no bugs. Which sorta makes it like indoors, but whatever!
you think these would freeze well?
I love this idea of cooking in a canning jar and the thought of putting a lid on and transporting the item is great!
what a great idea!
Looking for a cheesecake recipe that I can “can” and ship to Afghanistan. Do you think they would keep???? w/out refrigeration ? I do regular cakes in a jar and ship over, just looking for something different.
Lou–
Thanks for the email. I would definitely not ship these as they require refrigeration. Thanks for stopping by.
–Jamie
These are so cute and original! What a perfectly wonderful idea. Thanks
What a great idea! My dad loves cheesecake so I might have to surprise him…
I am so happy I found your blog. I am only twelve but I love to cook. I think I am going to have a lot of fun making these recipes, and almost as much fun tasting them!
i made these this weekend for a family party- they turned out great! i did it exactly how you said (minus the lemon) & used the weck jars you pictured. they were unbelievably pretty & so delicious! thank you so much!
Karen–
So glad to heart these turned out well for you!
–Jamei
These are so cute ,I’m so glad I stumbled on your site, Thanks
So pretty! and looks delicious!
Those have gotta be the cutest of all baking in a jar ideas around! Thanks for the directions/recipe.
I’m wondering could these be frozen before adding fruit to the top for a period of time. I’m thinking these would be perfect around the holidays and if they could be made up weeks ahead and put in freezer, even better!
Cindy-
I have never tried to freeze these, so I cannot attest to the outcome. If you try it, let me know. Have a great week.
-Jamie
These are adorable! I’m guessing you bake them without the lid? I couldn’t find any information in your post. Perfect for my mom’s birthday! I can’t wait to try ‘em! blessings, Rach
Rachel-
You are correct, do not bake with the lid on. I also used a water bath. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
I love the idea of the cheesecake in the jar. Have you ever put a crust on the bottom? I have used my very small jam jars to do banana pudding in http://rosemaryandthegoat.com/2010/06/14/quick-and-easy-banana-pudding/
I may try the cheesecakes for Christmas.
think you could use baby food jars? would love to put this in hubby’s lunch and he wouldn’t have to bring the jar back. he could just toss it and the serving size would be perfect.
Dana-
I am uncertain as to if baby food jars are heat safe, so I can’t say whether this will work or not. Sounds super cute though and it’s a great way to use those jars!
-Jamie
and by toss i mean toss in the recycle bin!
instead of using cheesecake that has to be cooked how about the box ones that get cold in the fridge make up your crumble crust and add it as you want and you can also put your fruits n and fridge it and eat it out of the cooler using the same jars…..yumm yumm
Corinna, I had the exact same thought, use the no-bake cheesecake in the box! If you tried it, let me know how it turned out.
I am so stealing this idea! I know that cheesecake freezes well so, I can see doing this.Portion control is not a bad thing for me. And it is just right for my husband and I.They would have to be topped with fruit after defrosting but YUMMY!!
looks so tasty!
Can you send me one of them?
This is probably a dumb question, but when you say bake, do you mean in the waterbath, like boil the water around the jars for 25-30 minutes, or put the whole thing in the oven and bake it, waterbath, jars, and all? I haven’t done much canning, but I do have a waterbath canner.
Shannon-
To prepare a water bath for the cheesecake jars, put your filled jars in a large pan and add enough boiling-hot water to reach about 1/3 of the way up the jars. I hope this helps!
-Jamie
Hi Jamie, what kind of cream cheese did you use? Block cream cheese or spread one ?
Thanks
Kat-
I used the 8-ounce blocks. Have a great day.
-Jamie
made these yummy “cheese cakes in a jar” sold them for a fund raiser for the vol. fire dept. here. sold for 5.00 each put only cherry on top with some sauce need to put a lid on used 3oz canning jars. sold all i made. and took orders for 30 more wow!!!!! people loved them
Iree-
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
-Jamie
These look awesome. Couple of questions for you. If you wanted to do a graham cracker crust at the bottom, would you be able to bake that before the cheesecake and would you need the water bath? And if I used 4oz jars instead do I cut the baking time in half?
Meera-
The water bath helps to ensure that the cheesecakes cook in an even and gentle manner. If you use smaller jars, I would recommend that you start checking the cheesecakes after about 15 minutes. You’ll want the edges to look set, but the center to have a little jiggle to it. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
Re: Eat Local
Take advantage of your farmer’s market. Try to purchase food that is in season and locally grown.
>> Be advised that produce on sale at your local farmer’s market may not actually *be* local, even if it is in season. I live in a rural Ontario and we’re just as likely to find BC produce in the farmer’s market.
At least grocery stores are obliged to indicate where produce is from. Sadly, mine prefers to stock produce from Mexico over locally grown.
And then of course when you’re talking about “fresh” food, well, there are techniques including chemicals that allow produce to appear “fresh” as long as a year. My rule of thumb: if it smells like cardboard instead of tomato, it will taste like cardboard.
I have to try this little ones, they look amazing!
Check my blog:www.momysbabys.wordpress.com
Love this idea. But can you tell me where I can get hold of these cute little jars? Thanks!
Lauren-
Hi! The jars are mini Tulip Jars from Weck – https://secure.cnchost.com/weckjars.com/productsDetail.php?category=4 I hope this helps.
-Jamie
This is a genius way to serve cheesecake, can’t wait to try these, they look so cute too1
These are Awesome. I gave them as gifts at Christmas BIG HIT! husband hinted last night he sure would like to have them again. Going to bake a double batch today. I am going to be so popular!
I may be a total idiot or just ignorant because I’ve never made cheesecake but these look wonderful! Ignore the run-on sentence. My question is, why pre-heat the oven? Do you put the pan with water and the 3/4 filled jars in the oven??
I appreciate the patience with my ignorance.
Tracy-
Hi! Yes, per step one of the directions, you will preheat the oven to 350°F. You will then place the jars in the pan and pour the water in to surround the jars before placing the pan into the oven. Just be careful – the pan and water will be very hot! Thanks so much for stopping by – have a great day!
-Jamie
I followed the directions but my jars cracked in the boiling water before I even put them in the oven
Hi Perplexia,
If you chilled your jars at all, or it was cold in the room before you added them to the boiling water, that is simply what glass will do. You must take care that the jars are room temperature before adding them to boiling water.
- Jamie
I LOVE this I just cannot find the adorable jars in the picture did anyone else get them?
Hi Vanessa,
Those jars are from a company called Weck. You can order them online, or they’re available in some national chains like Crate & Barrel.
- Jamie
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