Mini cheesecake molds from recycled containers
Re-purpose, recycle
There are so many fabulous cheesecake recipes coming out for the holidays!
We like miniature cheesecakes, fresh from the freezer—instead of one large pie melting in the fridge. Our lemon-cashew cheesecake with carob cookie crust was a big hit on Thanksgiving, and thanks to the quick mini-molds we used, each serving stayed pristine in the freezer until defrosted.
You don't need special spring-form pans to make mini cheesecakes. We recycled plastic containers and their lids and the technique worked wonderfully. You can make these molds any diameter that strikes your fancy. For Thanksgiving, we used 2-cup containers in which cashews were sold, and formed them to hold about one cup each.
Here's how to make 2-cup plastic containers into mini cheesecase molds:
1. Cut the plastic container straight down one side
2. Cut off the bottom of the container
3. Shape the sides of the mold into a circle the diameter you like, and hold in place with masking tape
4. Tape the circle to the lid which will now be the bottom of the mold. Use about 4 pieces of tape and try not to leave gaps between the sides and the bottom.
5. Coconut can be used in the bottom of the molds to prevent the crust sticking
6. Press your crust into the bottom of the mold
7. Place prepared molds on a tray that will fit in the freezer
8. Pour in your cheesecake mixture carefully so that they don't leak. Don't worry if they leak a bit. These still look great when defrosted!
9. Freeze until solid
10. When ready to serve, pop off the sides of the mold and remove all the masking tape, and place the lid on a dessert plate
11.
Allow about an hour to defrost before garnishing and serving.
