I came across the idea for this recipe somewhere on line. Allshecooks.com had done a post about mint Oreo cheesecake cups, and I was pretty certain I could adapt it to accommodate the graham crackers and cherry all-fruit spread I’d picked up for another, slightly fussier, project.
This recipe, I should note, is the total opposite of fussy. The biggest deal was waiting for the cream cheese to soften so it could be whipped, and, I will admit to being skeptical about the taste.
I shouldn’t have been. This tasty little treat is every bit as good as any cheesecake mix you’ll find at the market, but, it has real, simple, basic ingredients that you don’t need a degree in chemistry to understand.
Is it gonna take the place of that special cheesecake from that special place? No; but then, start to finish, this cheesecake can be prepped and resting in the fridge in well under a half-hour (after you’ve softened the cream cheese), so c’mon and live a little.
INGREDIENTS
•7 graham crackers, crushed
•2 tbsp butter, melted
•8 oz cream cheese, softened
•1/2 cup sugar
•1 tsp vanilla
•Cherry preserves
•Whipped cream
Place the graham crackers in a gallon sized zipper bag and crush them – a rolling pin works a treat here – then add the melted butter and toss in the bag to mix well with the cracker crumbs.
Add some of the buttered cracker crumbs to the bottom of five or six small jars or containers, then tamp them down a bit to pack the crust.
Whip the softened cream cheese together with the sugar and the vanilla until fluffy, then layer on top of the cracker crumb crust in the containers.
Spread some of the cherry preserves over the top, cover the containers, and stash in the fridge until ready to serve.
You can add a bit of whipped cream and mebbe some additional graham cracker crumbs on top, if you like.
A note on the preserves: I used Polaner All Fruit, which contains no corn sweeteners or other additives.