No-Bake Brown Sugar Cheesecake with Spiced Pears
Make this no-bake cheesecake for Thanksgiving this year! Your guests will love the creamy brown sugar filling, and the gingersnap crust and spiced pear cranberry topping will steal the show! Easy, make-ahead recipe.
Have you started thinking about Thanksgiving yet? It will be here before we know it!
Today, I’m teaming up with a few of my blogger friends to bring you a whole Thanksgiving menu, right at your fingertips. I brought dessert (duh!), but there’s a recipe for everything and everyone here, so stick around til the end of the post for tons of yummy inspiration!
So, are you hosting this year or what? I have hosted so many Thanksgiving dinners over the last few years, I’ve seriously lost count. I want to say I’ve done it every year for the last like 5 years but I could just be delirious from fatigue. Our first year in this house, I thought it might be fun to use the bone china that was gifted to us by Mr. Allie’s grandmother. Um, not fun. Not fun at all actually. Kind of the opposite of fun. Turns out every piece needed to be hand washed (in addition to all the pots and pans and serving platters), and I was a nervous wreck the whole time thinking something would get broken and Grandmom would never forgive me.
As much as I love the cooking part, hosting Thanksgiving dinner can get a little overwhelming. There’s a lot to put on the table all at one time. There’s a lot of prep, and a lot of cleanup, so if you can take a shortcut (like disposable pans!) I highly recommend doing that.
Whether you’re hosting yourself, or just helping out by bringing dessert, I have a perfect recipe for you.
These are adorable, seasonal, and they whip up in a matter of moments. You can make them ahead and stash them in the fridge. Throw them on a tray with a handful of spoons, and let everybody have at ’em. When the jars are empty, just pop them in the dishwasher. That’s quite a few less bone china dessert plates to wash, and your heart will thank you for sparing it from repeated bouts of palpitations.
The topping is really the star of the show here, and it’s nothing more than a few pears cooked in butter with lemon and ginger. And cranberries of course. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without cranberries 😉
Let that cool while you layer the jars with crushed gingersnaps and the luscious brown sugar cheesecake filling.
The topping is so full of bright and spicy flavor, and then the cool, creamy cheesecake just balances it all right out. Make sure you get your spoon all the way to the bottom so you get a little of that crunchy gingersnap crust in every bite!
If you’ve got a big crowd to feed and you really want to cut down on the cleanup, this could also be served in one big bowl or trifle dish, parfait style. Your guests will be all over it!
Sadly, one cannot live on dessert alone. So be sure to check out the rest of this fabulous Thanksgiving menu!
Maple – Glazed Turkey with Bacon and Sage | Five Heart Home
Turkey Tetrazzini w/ Mushrooms and Kale | The Fountain Ave Kitchen
Orange Balsamic Glazed Ham | Cherished Bliss
Turkey Soup | Carmel Moments
Cranberry Stuffed Turkey | Thoughts from Alice
Cauliflower Gratin | Love Grows Wild
Creamy Cheese Corn Casserole | Five Heart Home
Cranberry Citrus Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecans | Delightful E Made
Sautéed French Green Beans | Cherished Bliss
Potatoes Au Gratin | Yummy Healthy Eats
Mashed Sweet Potatoes | Live Laugh Rowe
Honey-Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes | Cooking with Ruthie
Cheesy Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes | Cherished Bliss
Harvest Grain Rolls | Heather’s French Press
Jello Salad | Your Homebased Mom
Herb and Cheese Monkey Bread | Five Heart Home
Brown Rice | Uncommon Designs
Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie | Cooking with Curls
Apple Pie Waffles | Club Narwhal
Raspberry Pie | Dessert Now Dinner Later
Triple Layer Chocolate Pie | I Should be Mopping the Floor
Salted Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Pie | Lemon Tree Dwelling
No Bake Brown Sugar Cheesecake w/ Spiced Pears | Baking a Moment
Nutella Kahlua Truffles | Kleinworth & Co
Pumpkin Cupcakes & Maple Cream Cheese Frosting | Cupcake Diaries
Cream Filled Coffee Cake | Tastes of Lizzy T
Cranberry Orange Mulled Wine | Wine and Glue
Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake | Maison De Pax
I told you this’d be a one stop Thanksgiving shop! Now I want to extend a very special thank you to Samantha of Five Heart Home and Ashley & Audra of Cherished Bliss, for putting this blog hop together and inviting me to be a part.
I hope you guys enjoy!
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No-Bake Brown Sugar Cheesecake with Spiced Pears
Ingredients
For the Spiced Pear Topping
- 2 fresh pears, (choose a firm variety such as Bartlett or D'Anjou)
- 1 tablespoon (14.79 g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (33.33 g) fresh cranberries
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest, (zest of half a lemon)
For the Brown Sugar Cheesecake
- 3/4 cup (84.75 g) gingersnap crumbs, (about 9 cookies, ground in the food processor)
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) cream cheese,, softened
- 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar,, loosely packed
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) heavy cream,, cold
Instructions
To Make the Spiced Pear Topping:
- Peel and core the pears, and dice into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Heat a small skillet with the butter, then add the pears, cranberries, sugar, ginger, and lemon zest, and cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the pears are softened slightly and the cranberries are just beginning to burst.
- Cool completely.
To Make the Brown Sugar Cheesecake:
- Divide the gingersnap crumbs equally between 4 small jars.
- Place the cream cheese and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream together until fluffy.
- Using the whip attachment, slowly drizzle the cold cream in while whipping on medium speed.
- When all the cream has been added, turn the speed up to medium-high and whip until the mixture holds firm peaks.
- Layer the mixture over the gingersnap crumbs, and top with the spiced pear topping.
Oh my gosh, this looks incredible! I love the flavors here – perfect for fall!
Thank you so much!
Cheesecakes in a glass are my favourites! These are adorable, love the pear topping! Delish Allie! 😀
Thanks sweetie! The topping was definitely my favorite part 😉
Beautiful cheesecake, I love the pear topping. Awesome Thanksgiving recipes!
Thank you Lyubomira! Everyone really brought their A-game, right? Hope your week is off to a great start dear!
Okay, unfortunately we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here but that is no reason to not make these beauties!!!! Allie, I AM IN LOVE WITH THESE CHEESECAKE JARS!!!!!! First of all, they are super cute!!!! And secondly – THE FLAVORS!!!!!!!!!!! OMG! I.WANT!!!!! *_*
Yay!! Thanks Samina! The topping was my favorite part 😉
This is so pretty! I love that it’s in a jar!
Thanks, Breakfast Drama Queen! I am such a sucker for a little individual dessert. So glad you liked; thanks for dropping by! 😀
Did you say Brown Sugar cheesecake? Oh my! This is my kinda dessert!
Yay! I know I just love brown sugar, don’t you?? There’s something so Fall about it. Thanks for stopping by Julianne! 😀
These look delicious, Allie! And the color – yes to pink! This will be my 4th year hosting (I think….thanksgiving delirium is definitely a real thing), but this time around I’ve just got 8 people so I’m hoping it (me?) will be a little less crazy than in years past!
Oh man! Good luck Liz! It’s always so much fun to host but it sure knocks me flat every year. Thank goodness it’s always on a Thursday so there are 3 days to recover, lol!
Allie, I totally agree with how a little overwhelming the whole hosting thing can be… and it’s just not cooking/baking everything (which is what my self-controlled self does every single year!). But it’s getting the table(s) setting, centerpieces, etc. My boys load the dishwasher constantly during the 3 days prior… can’t imagine having to gently hand wash all those special dishes! Loving your amazing dessert… you never disappoint, my friend! 😉
You are so right Gloria! The cooking and baking are fun but the cleanup after, and the housecleaning before (!) are killer. And then if you’ve got overnight guests… forget about it! I hope you have a great one dear, and thank you for the sweet comment <3
Such a stunning dessert Allie! Love that it’s no bake 🙂 Pinned!
Thanks so much Trish! Hope you have a great weekend friend! 😀
You are the absolute best at creating the most adorable little desserts. My goal in life is for my desserts to come out just as cute as yours! I love that these little cups are make-ahead! Definitely a must-have this Thanksgiving! <3
Well, you can check that goal off your to-do list because you’re already achieving it on the regular! Thanks so much Justine, and Happy Friday 😀
I started stress-sweating just reading about you using your grandma’s beautiful china! Forget that noise! Everybody’s using paper plates at my house, lol. Allie, these no bake cheesecake jars look phenomenal. The cheesecake is ridiculously light ‘n creamy and I could probably eat that fruit topping by the bucketful on its own.
I know right?? I do not know what the h I was thinking. One of the dumbest mistakes I’ve made in life! So glad you liked the recipe though, and ya, I kinda did eat more than my share of the topping 😉
What a perfect Thanksgiving dessert!
Thank you Jessica! I’m so happy you like it! Have a great weekend, hon 😀
Loving the fall flavors in this dish and it’s so pretty! Love your jars!
Thanks Amber! Aren’t they just the cutest? I ordered them from Weck and I have to restrain myself from using them in every post ;P
This is one incredibly cute dessert. I’m swooning over the flavor combination! So perfect for winter.
Thanks Jen! I was kinda in love with the topping. Glad I made extra- I’m eating it for breakfast with granola and yogurt! 😀
Whoa! All of that food looks amazing! Totally crushing on these little cheesecakes, too!
I know, right Julie? So many yummy noms… I’m totally getting into the Thanksgiving spirit! So glad you liked the cheesecake jars too 😉