Today I present to you the Anti-Hipster No-Bake Cheesecake.  Why Anti-Hipster you ask?  Well, let me tell you!  There is a current trend amongst hipsters to use Mason Jars for salads, and soups, and other miscellaneous things.  I don’t have anything against this, as repurposing old items for new uses is great!  What I do have an issue with is going out and buying new Mason Jars even though everyone has perfectly good reusable containers already.  Am I going to use Mason Jars for this cheese cake? Hell no!  I don’t have any, so I am using something I do have — Beer mugs!  This will be a mildly deconstructed cheesecake, so be prepared for something not quite normal!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Graham Wafers
• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
• 1 package Lemon Jello
• 2 Packages Cream Cheese
• 1 cup Whipping Cream
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 can Condensed Milk
• 1/4 cup Lemon juice

The first step is to prep the Jello.  Don’t make it according to the instructions.  It needs to be twice as solid.  Only add in 1 cup of boiling water, with no ice nor cold water.

After mixing, put it into your container.  As I said up above, my container of choice today? Beer Mugs!

Throw it into the fridge and let it set completely.

While this is happening, we can create the crust layer.  Grab about 10-20 graham wafers, and smash the begeezus out of them.

A food processor works wonders to pulverize them

Add in the unsalted butter to bind it all together, and continue mixing.  When it’s all homogenized, spread it on parchment paper and flatten it.

throw it into the fridge to let it set.  I called this a no-bake recipe, but if you want to cheat, you can throw this into a toaster oven which will make it taste at least 10 times better.  To be a purist though, no oven allowed!

It’s time to get the cheesecake portion ready!  Grab your whipping cream and beat it until stiff.  Grab all of the sweet stuff, and add that in next.

Throw in your acid next.  Remember, a little bit of lemon juice goes a long way.  Continue mixing.

When your Jello has set, take it out of the fridge and admire how pretty it looks.

Oh look!  They somehow magically set on an angle!

Grab your graham crumb mixture and add a layer over top of the Jello.

Push it right up against the glass.  Throw the cheesecake mixture into a piping bag, and fill up the mug.

If you have a keen eye, you will notice there is no graham crumb mixture in one of the pictures.  You can experiment and change up the order of ingredients to suit your mood!  Feel like less graham crumbs? Just add a layer on the top!

Grab a lemon, zest it, and make it pretty.

Ta da!  There you have it — the Anti-Hipster No-Bake Cheesecake!

For a personal side to this recipe, my mom used to make this 30 years ago, and I always remember it being one of my favourite deserts.  Every time I eat it, I think of the old basement kitchen, and how it was a treat to get it!