I’m officially done with work for the school year and I must admit, I’m pretty stoked about doing my own thing for the next few months. No alarm clock buzzing in my ear at 5:45, no last minute wardrobe changes because I’m a clutz with my morning coffee and certainly no more fitting in baking time between chores and dinner. The summer gives me the opportunity to experience what it would be like to blog full time and I must say, I’m kind of digging it.
The first couple of days were spent basking in the fact that there is nothing I have to do. I watched random TV shows – hello, Breaking Pointe on the CW – who knew ballerinas could be so catty?! Watched way too many makeup videos on YouTube and filled a virtual cart at both The Gap and The Limited. However, I got bored pretty quick and decided that I needed cheesecake in my non-working life.
You know that I am a sucker for anything mini – especially when the mini-fied creations are served in Weck jars (see the notes section below for details). I created a foundation for this sweet and tart cheesecake by using Newtons Lemon Fruit Thins. Amber recommended them to me and I must admit, I’m kind of addicted. They’re crisp, sweet and just perfect for a cheesecake base. After the cheesecakes were baked and cooled, I topped each one with a layer of homemade lemon curd, fresh whipped cream and ripe raspberries.
Light and crisp, just like their cookie base, these mini cheesecakes are the perfect dessert for your next barbecue. Especially because they can be made ahead of time and simply grabbed from the fridge when you’ve had time to let all the hot dogs, hamburgers and guacamole time to settle. Your guests will love the little jars, and you’ll love the minimal effort.
If raspberries aren’t your thing, you can top them with any berry that strikes your fancy – strawberries or blackberries would also be a nice addition.
Lemon Cheesecake in a Jar
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Crust
12 Newtons Lemon Fruit Thins (see notes section for substitution)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, meltedFor the Cheesecake
1/2 cup plus granulated sugar
zest of one lemon
2 packages cream cheese, 8 oz each; room temperature
2 large eggs; room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Garnish
1/2 cup homemade lemon curd
fresh whipped cream
fresh berriesDirections:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the Newtons Lemon Fruit Thins into the bowl of a food processor, attach the lid and pulse the machine until you have fine cookie crumbs.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together cookie crumbs and melted butter. Evenly divide the crumbs between your individual serving, oven-safe dishes and lightly press the crumbs into the bottoms of each dish to form a crust layer. Place the prepared cheesecake crusts on a baking sheet and bake the crusts in preheated oven for 6 minutes, carefully remove them to a wire rack to cool.
4. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
5. 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.
6. Pour batter into serving dishes , directly onto the prebaked crusts, until about 3/4 of the way full. Place jars into a larger pan with high sides and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the sides of the jars.
7. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have a little jiggle to it.
8. 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. Before serving, top each cheesecake with lemon curd, fresh whipped cream and berries.
Notes:
- If you cannot find the Newtons Lemon Fruit Thins (I purchased them from Walmart), you can substitute them with about 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.
- The Jars seen in the photos are Weck Mini Mold Jars 976 - 165. Their volume is 5.6 fl oz.
- If you do not have jars, you can use oven-safe ramekins.
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{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
I love these jars, Jamie! And the lemon cheesecake…just perfectly refreshing for the summer. Enjoy your time off!
Woot! Happy holidays! Glad to see you are kicking off the summer in style. These cheesecakes are gorgeous!
These look fantastic. I am always looking for yummy lemon recipes, so thank you I am going to try these!
Love lemon! These look perfect, and in jars would be so easy to take on a picnic. Cool and refreshing, perfect for summer.
I wish one of these was waiting for me when I get home tonight!
Anything in a jar goes straight to my heart, so I am loving these! Plus I agree the minimal cleanup is a definite bonus. Gorgeous dessert!!
I love cheesecake and I love lemons….the perfect match!
Yay to relaxing and enjoying the summer!
Ummm perfct for summers,,,
Such a pretty little dessert!
I remember how thrilled I was when summer rolled around. Congrats for making it through another year….teaching is hard work! I used to teach elementary school.
These mini lemon cheesecakes look so pretty. Enjoy your summer off!!
Oh wow, i love that you used the lemon newton fruit thins. that is really creative! & this sounds simply amazing! i love love love lemons!
Wow…these are amazing and I can’t wait to make them. Wish I got one in hand now
….drooling!
Just beautiful! I love the presentation in the Weck jars
They sound delicious and beautifully presented. I love individual things when everyone gets their own pot. Lovely and summery too
These jars are so cute! Love this!
oh my! love lemon, love cheesecake, love baby jars! on my list. enjoy your summer!
So glad you’re on holidays! More frequent posts now? YUSS!
Love the idea of the mini-jars (hello, portion control!) and the bright flavours are just perfect for summer.
These look amazing,love the jars,I must get me some,sooo pretty!
This looks so fabulous! I love how it’s so mini and cute
Cheesecakes are my fave and these look delish!
Yes, anything that has been miniturized it always 10x cuter! I like these little lemon cheesecakes and the jars you put them in are adorable!
These mini cheesecakes look so cute and delicious. I’ll make a note to try this recipe.
So pretty! I’m in love with these.
this looks heavenly! I’m jealous of your next three months
I love these in a jar! What a wonderful recipe!!!
These are lovely! Love the idea of using the Newton Lemon Thins!
Oh are these little jar cheesecakes the sweetest thing ~ so perfect for summer entertaining!
I am always ready for a citrus dessert, my favorite! Just adore the lemon cheesecakes in jars, a most splendid post!
oh these are soo pretty… have just been staring at your first pic… so fresh, so beautiful!! and i love individual desserts.. again sooo beautiful!!
So devine and delightful. Loving that they’re topped with lemon curd. I bet they taste so refreshing and fresh! Yumoriffic!
So glad you were able to find the Lemon Thins finally. You already know I think those cheesecakes look stunning, but it bears repeating.
Are these not the cutest things ever?! I absolutely love jar foods so I am thrilled to make these.
These are so pretty! I love individually portioned desserts like this, so cute!
those look just delightful! so summery and cheery:) thanks for sharing!
I love those Weck jars–they make lemon cheesecake fresh and new!
Gorgeous, and perfect for a summer party 
This has real possibilities for my husband’s diabetic restrictions because I can reduce the sugar by half and then use a sweetener. Not sure if the lemon curd will work the same way with the reduced sugar but it’s worth a try! Lovely and inspiring recipe. Thanks!
this looks great!!! thanks for sharing
Oh enjoy your time off! These mini cheesecakes in a jar are perfect for a summer get-together – they are too precious =)
These are gorgeous! I love any kind of individual dessert in jars, and lemon anything is the best
I made these over the weekend using canning jars. I doubled up the recipe because I was headed to a backyard BBQ. Very easy to make and they were a huge hit!
My new addiction is these little jars! Portable sweets, how awesom. I see this as a new trend already.
-Sarah
Lovely jars and you photos are great ¡¡
Just discovered your blog – OMG I’m going to get fat!
Shannon-
Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
Hi Jamie,
I don’t have an oven…would I be able to do a variation on this?
Thanks!
Katie-
I don’t have a no bake variation for this recipe, but definitely check this one out: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/no-bake-cheesecake-recipe/. Have a great day.
-Jamie
Just found these pictures and your blog on pinterest and I am so very happy about this! Theses mini cheesecakes look fabulous and amazing!!! I certainly have to buy some more WECK glasses right now!
This was fantastic! I added 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and a graham cracker crust and it yielded 8 jars. Huckleberries for the topping were delightful. Although I made 8 I think I could have easily turned it into 9 servings. Thank you!!!
Shelley-
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on your experience. Have a great day.
-Jamie
Gorgeous! They look absolutely pretty, in this yellow, white, red tones.
Nice glass jars, by the way, I wish I had something similar to serve my cheesecakes
Forgive my stupid question but are those jars oven safe where you can bake the cookie crust?
Ela-
I have backed using Weck jars many times with any issues. I hope this helps.
Jamie
Great idea! Are you able to tell me if I can make these in advance? And if the crust gets soggy? I need to make 30-36 of these for a party! Thanks!