This spring, I’ve been obsessed with mason jars– small, large, super sized mason jars for everything you could imagine! I use them for vases, glasses, candle holders, table top terrariums, a DIY ice cream bar and now, ladies and gentlemen, no bake cheesecake jars! The first time I used mason jars for dessert, I was catering a high-end dinner party and my cake didn’t set up. I was horrified. It was delicious, but it had collapsed in the middle and looked like a hot (yummy) mess. As I was standing at the counter, hoping no one came into the kitchen and discovered my catastrophe, I remembered about a box of mason jars I had in the back of my truck. I quickly layered the warm, gooey mess into the jars with ice cream. Then, I whipped up a little caramel sauce, popped some whipped cream on top and called it GOURMET. My guests never knew about my baking crisis and later raved about the “moist” cake, LOL!
It made perfect sense to style my Mini No Bake Cheesecake in these little jars! And, in honor of National Dairy Month and my partnership with the Western Dairy Association, I created what I consider the perfect summer dessert. I’m not a fan of super sweet anything, and the same goes for my cheesecake. Lately, no bake has been my go-to, because, well, it’s NO BAKE! No fussy water baths and springform pans. With the mason jars, you just layer in the graham cracker crust, top with the key lime cheesecake filling, some whipped cream and they can chill in the fridge till you’re ready to serve them.
Before we get to the delish, check out some of these awesome stats… The average glass of milk costs only 25 cents a glass– few foods deliver milk’s powerhouse of nutrients in such an affordable and available way. When you buy dairy products at your local grocery store or farmers market, you are supporting dairy families — 97% of the country’s dairy farms are family owned and operated.
The Western Dairy Association works on behalf of dairy farm families in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, and they’re celebrating 80 years of helping dairy farm families tell their stories. Check out the Western Dairy Blog throughout the month to read about the families who have been dairying for over eight decades!
Colorado is a great place to be a dairy cow – their cows are second in the nation in milk produced per cow – a sign that they are happy and healthy.
And huge shout out to Western Dairy Association farms: Colorado dairy farm families produce over 3.4 billion pounds of wholesome, nutritious milk each year. Montana dairy farm families produce 288 million pounds of milk each year and Wyoming dairy farm families produce over 123 million pounds of milk each year. That’s a whole lot of healthy and happy!
Ready to dive into “Dairy Delicious?” I know you are….
Here are some other yummy cheesecake recipes you might want to check out too:
Peanut Butter Oreo No Bake Cheesecake
Peanut Butter & Jelly No Bake Cheesecake (scroll down for recipe)
Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd
*This is a sponsored post by the Western Dairy Association, but all opinions are my own.
- 2 Tb butter
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 (8oz) package of full fat cream cheese
- 3/4 cup heavy cream whipped to soft peaks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup key lime juice
- zest of 2 key limes
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- zest of one key lime
- Melt butter and mix in graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon.
- Layer a couple spoonfuls at the bottom of each mason jar.
- Bring cream cheese to room temperature and mix with sugar until smooth. Fold in heavy cream (whipped to soft peaks), vanilla, key lime juice and zest.
- Mix until smooth.
- Spoon on top of crust to nearly the top of each mini jar.
- Cover and keep in fridge for 3 hours or until firm.
- Whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks are formed.
- When ready to serve, put whipped cream on top and finish with a little zest and a slice of key lime for garnish.
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