Serves 6
No Bake Berry Cheesecake Trifle in Mason Jars
Graham Layer:
- 2 packages (10 ounces) of plain graham crackers, processed into fine crumbs
- 5 tablespoons of melted and cooled coconut oil (or butter)
Berry Layer:
- 2 lb. package of strawberries, washed & rinsed, cut into ½-3/4 bite-size pieces (reserve some for garnishing)
- 18 ounce package of blueberries, washed & rinsed * reserve some for garnishing
Cheesecake Layer:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-8 ounce packages of plain cream cheese, room temperature
- 1-14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
Vanilla Whipped Cream:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons confectioner’s sugar (sifted, if it is clumpy from storage)
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (helps stabilize the whipped cream)
- Optional: To simplify the recipe, if you want, you can get ready made whipped cream
Toppings Layer:
- Whipped Cream
- Extra blueberries
- Whole and/or cut strawberries
- 2 tablespoons or more confectioner’s sugar for dusting
–Prepare berries: Soak berries in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes. Rinse berries in cold water using a colander. Place berries on paper towels to dry completely. Cut strawberries into 1/2 to 3/4 inch, bite-size pieces.
– Graham Layer: Process graham crackers in your food processor until you get an even, fine crumb. Pour into a bowl and mix in melted coconut oil (or butter, if you prefer) until evenly mixed. Set aside.
– Cheesecake Layer: Using your hand mixer on medium speed-high, mix room temperature plain cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add in sweetened condensed milk and mix until fully incorporated. Add in ¼ cup lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix. Set aside.
– Vanilla Whipped Cream: This step of making the whipped cream can also be done closer to serving time. Chill a clean metal or glass mixing bowl for 5 minutes with the beaters. Add 1 pint whipping cream to the metal bowl, mix with a hand mixer on med-high speed until bubbly, add in 2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar. Whip until stiff peaks are reached. Refrigerate until ready for use.
– Assemble: Add ¼ cup graham cracker mixture to the bottom of each 6 pint size mason jars. You may want to tap the jar slightly to get the crumbs to settle evenly on the bottom. Mix ¼ cup blueberries and ¼ cup strawberries to a small bowl and shuffle so they are evenly mixed then add to the mason jar, repeat 5 more times for the other mason jars, shuffling if needed to evenly distribute the berries. At this point, you may want to use a canning funnel so the sides do not get messy. Add ½ cup cheesecake layer to each mason jar, gently shuffling the jar to evenly distribute the cheesecake layer (it will settle more on it’s own). Repeat with a layer of ¼ graham mixture for each jar. Repeat a ½ cup mixture of berries to each mason jar.
– Chill jars for 2.5-3 hours or overnight for cheesecake to firm up.
– Before serving, top with whipped cream, berries and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Enjoy!