Sous Vide Cheesecakes in a Jar

For the cheesecake layer, in the bowl of a food processor, combine cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and pure vanilla extract until completely smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Alternatively, you can mix by hand, but be careful to incoporate as little air as possible. Evenly distribute cheesecake batter among eight 4-ounce jam jars.

For the topping, in a small mixing bowl, whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Pour evenly over cheesecake mixture. Top jars with canning lids, followed by screw bands that are tightened “fingertip tight” (see notes below).

Place jars in a heat-safe container large enough to hold all the jars and a sous vide circulator (it’s ok to stack the jars) and place the container on a heat-proof surface away from children or pets. Add water to cover the jars, making sure the water level falls between the minimum and maximum levels indicated on your sous vide circulator. Cook the cheesecakes for 90 minutes at 165ºF, then remove from water and cool for 1 hour (remove screw bands to prevent the lids from rusting). Chill cheesecakes for at 3 or 4 hours before serving (or up to 5 days).

Notes:
1. To tighten jars “fingertip tight,” place screw band on jar and turn just until you feel resistance, then turn band one-quarter turn more.
2. Recipe can easily be made keto-friendly by replacing the sugar with an equal amount of granulated Splenda. The keto stats for one serving are as follows: 4g carbs, 6g protein, 27g fat, 245g sodium, 280g calories.