no-bake blueberry cheesecake

I haven't made this in a while, and I thought of making a batch as a housewarming gift of sorts .  No-bake cheesecake is one of the easiest desserts to assemble; I learned it when I was a teenager. I love sharing this trick with cheesecake-loving friends, because it's so amazingly simple.



You Will Need:

• butter, softened
• graham crackers
• cream cheese
• blueberry preserves

Here's How You Make It:

1. Crush graham crackers into fine crumbs.  The easy, mess-free way to do this is to place them in a resealable bag and roll a rolling pin over, but any which way will do.
   
   How much crumbs do you need?  It depends on how big you want it to be, or how thick/ thin you want your crust.  I normally use a little less than a cup of crumbs for a 9-inch pie pan.
   
2. In a bowl, combine crumbs and butter.  Add about a pat of butter at a time so you can control the consistency.  Your goal is a putty-like consistency, moldable like clay, but a bit crumblier.
   
3. Place the crumbs-and-butter mixture onto your pie pan and spread it until it covers the entire base of the pan.  This will be your crust.  I personally prefer a thin crust, about one-fourth thick, but hey, it's your cake.  Press it down with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
   
4. Soften your cream cheese.  It would be nice to have an electric mixer, but a bowl-and-wooden-spoon works fine too.  Like it much sweeter? You can stir in some sugar or all-purpose cream.
   
5. Lay the cream cheese right over your pie crust.  Stick it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
   
6. Slather blueberry preserves (or any other fruit jam you like) over the layer of cream cheese.  voila!
   

Get Creative! 

• Don't like blueberries?  Make it a cherry cheesecake! Or a strawberry one.
• Make your own fruit jam for topping: Combine one part each of canned or fresh fruit, sugar and water; bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer until gooey. 
• You can even use this trick to make an Oreo cheesecake.  Just use Oreos instead of Graham Crackers - be sure to scrape off the filling first.  Take the filling and some more crumbs, and mix it all into the cream cheese layer.  Top with crushed cookies.