For the last dish in my PETER RABBIT menu, let me introduce you to these sweet little bites of heaven: mini no-bake blackberry cheesecakes! As soon as I started planning my menu, I knew I wanted the dessert to draw from the blackberries and milk Peter’s siblings enjoy at the end of the story. I tossed around lots of ideas, eventually deciding on no-bake cheesecake because my daughter loves cream cheese (her egg allergy prevents her from enjoying regular cheesecake). Plus, cheesecake is one of my husband’s favorite desserts. I made several batches during recipe testing, and he LOVED being my guinea pig! 😀

This was my first time developing a cheesecake recipe, so to make sure my proportions were right, I consulted two no-bake cheesecake recipes from Live Well Bake Often and Chenee Today. I found my filling to be a bit too loose after it set (possibly due to the additional liquid from the blackberry puree I mixed in), so I used a method I found at Simply Recipes, which calls for mixing a bit of gelatin in at the end. It set perfectly, which was a huge relief, since I would have been so sad to nix the puree. Not only does it provide a fun sweet-tart kick, but it turns the cheesecake an adorable lavender color. Bon appetit! 🙂

NOTE: THIS RECIPE NEEDS TO SET FOR AT LEAST 4 HOURS.

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Mini No-Bake Blackberry Cheesecakes

“But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.”

— Peter Rabbit

 

INGREDIENTS:

• For the Crust
  
  • 1 1/4 cups finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies
  • 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• For the Filling
  • 1 cup blackberries
  • 16 oz (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream, refrigerated until ready to use
  • 1 packet gelatin powder
  • 2 Tbsp cold water
  • fresh blackberries and mint, for garnish

 

Makes 14 mini cheesecakes (cupcake-sized)

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. FOR THE CRUST. Line a cupcake tin with liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the wafer crumbs and butter, stirring until well combined. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon into each liner. Press the crumbs down until compacted and flat. Chill while prepping filling.
2. FOR THE FILING. In a blender, puree the blackberries. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the gelatin and water with a fork until well combined. Allow to bloom for 5 minutes. Microwave for about 10-15 seconds or until liquid. Set aside to reach room temperature.
4. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides if necessary. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat in the blackberry puree, increasing the speed to medium after a minute or two. Stop to scrape the sides if necessary. The mixture should turn a light lavender color.
5. Return the speed to medium-low and beat in the heavy cream until soft peaks form. If the gelatin has started to set, microwave for about 5 seconds more (just enough to liquefy it again but not make it hot). On low speed, gradually beat in the gelatin. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
6. Spoon the filling into the prepared cupcake liners and smooth flat. Chill for 4 hours or overnight. Top with blackberries and mint.
7. Serve to Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail for being good little rabbits.

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Check out my other blackberry recipes!

Bilbo’s Birthday Cupcakes from LoTR

Chocolate Blackberry Upside Down Milkshake from Stranger Things

Tom Bombadil’s White Bread with Basil Butter, Honey, and Berries