Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

These are a great dessert when you don’t have a lot of time. They can be ready in no time. No crust to make- you use vanilla wafers. The recipe just makes 6, so you can make these anytime you get a craving for cheesecake. I made these for lunch with a friend. I had recently made blueberry pie filling and wanted to use some in a dessert. It worked out so well. So here is the recipe for the cheesecakes and the pie filling. Of course, you could use other pie fillings that you prefer. I could see making more and using a few different toppings.

Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

6 vanilla wafers

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 egg

1 cup blueberry pie filling- store bought or homemade – recipe follows.

Line 6 muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 wafer in each. Beat together remaining ingredients for 1 minute with electric mixer. Divide this mixture in the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool and decorate with fruit topping, if desired. Makes 6. These can be frozen. Serves 2-3.

Blueberry Pie Filling

6 qts. Blueberries fresh or frozen (thawed)

6 c. sugar

2 1/4 c. Clear Gel (modified cornstarch, not regular cornstarch)

7 c. water

1/2 c. lemon juice

Wash and drain berries. If using fresh berries, blanch berries in boiling water for 1 minute- only 2 quarts at a time. Drain and keep berries warm. In large sauce pot combine sugar and Clear Gel. Stir in water and cook on high heat until mixtures bubbles and thickens. It is going to be really thick- don’t panic, just keep stirring so it won’t stick. Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in berries and ladle in hot, clean canning jars immediately. Leave 1/2 -inch headspace and remove any air bubbles with a knife. Wipe rims clean and put on lids. Place jars in boiling water bath and process for 30 minutes. Start timing when water returns to the boil. Turn off heat and let jars sit in the water bath 5-10 minutes before removing to counter to cool.  Cool jars on counter on rack or towel, free from drafts. Check seals next day.  Remove rings and wipe down jars with a soft, damp cloth before storing. Makes 14 pints or 7 quarts. Note: You can easily cut this recipe in half. If you only want to make 1 quart the ingredient list follows.

For 1 quart

3 ½ c. blueberries

¾ c. sugar

¼ c. plus 1 T. clear gel*

1 c. cold water

3 ½ t.  lemon juice

Note: If you are not canning the pie filling you can use regular cornstarch instead of clear gel. Store in fridge. Use within a week or freeze.

Source NCHFP