Blueberry Cheesecake

What You Need:

• 1 ½ cup graham crackers
• 5 tbsp butter
• ½ cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Blender
• 8-inch pie pan
• Saucepan
• Mixing bowl
• Hand mixer
• 2 cups blueberries
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar

What You Do:

1. Invite your child to create the crust for the cheesecake by breaking up and placing the graham crackers in the blender and pulsing until they resemble coarse sand.
2. Now she can melt the butter and pour over the graham crackers and pulse once again. Invite her to carefully press the mixture into the bottom of the pie pan, trying to evenly coat the bottom.
3. Help your child create the no-bake cheesecake by warming the milk in the saucepan over medium heat. Using the stove is a bit tricky, so make sure to have adult supervision!
4. Once the milk has warmed, your child can remove it from the heat and measure and add the unflavored gelatin, giving everything a little stir. Unflavored gelatin acts as a binder, and will help hold together the cheesecake, making it taste like it baked in the oven.
5. Now invite your child to measure and add the cream cheese and sour cream to a mixing bowl, along with the sugar and vanilla. She can whip things up with the hand mixer and then add the milk and gelatin mixture. Once again, she can use the hand mixer to blend things up.
6. Help your child pour the cheesecake batter over the graham cracker crust and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.
7. While the cheesecake is setting, your child can create the blueberry topping to complete her cheesecake! Invite her to measure and add the blueberries, lemon juice, sugar and water to a saucepan and let simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes, giving things a stir every once in awhile.
8. Invite your child to remove the cheesecake from the fridge and top with an even layer of the blueberry topping. She can slice and serve her flavorful dessert to friends and family!