Healthy Mini Cheesecake Recipe

I am a self proclaimed  cream cheese addict.  I like making grain dishes with cream cheese mixed in, cheesy dips, etc. But cream cheese in desserts is where its really at. I love cheesecake but I often feel it sits like a rock in my stomach. It is usually sickening sweet and heavy. Its also a little tricky to use a spring form pan, making sure it doesn’t crack, and is the right texture. And while that graham cracker crust tastes great, it isn’t too good for you with all that butter. Enter, the healthy mini cheesecake. It still has the graham cracker crust and the perfect cheesecake consistency but its portion controlled and high in protein with the addition of greek yogurt. Its one of those desserts I almost wish I didn’t discover because now I won’t be able to stop making it.

Mini Cheesecakes

Makes 8 mini cheesecakes  (recipe can easily be doubled)

Ingredients:

homemade graham crackers

1 8 oz block cream cheese, room temperature

6 oz  plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup honey or coconut palm sugar

1 Tbs flour (any kind)

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 F.

This is the simplest crust ever. Break graham crackers into pieces and place into bottom of sprayed muffin tin

 

Now for the filling. Make sure the cream cheese is warm.  Add the yogurt, vanilla, sugar, lemon juice, and egg and combine well. Portion the batter into the 8 muffin tins overtop of the graham cracker circles.

Bake at 325 F for 45 minutes-1 hour. They are finished when they barely start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center no longer jiggles. Run a knife around the edges to loosen then place on a plate in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes until chilled all the way through.

I topped mine with some all fruit, strawberry preserves. I ate some plain as well. And I ate some with fresh strawberries on top.

So much for being built in portion control huh?

Depending on my mood, sometimes I’ll healthify desserts, sometimes I won’t. I don’t usually tell my husband until after we eat it though so I can get his honest opinion. He said they taste great and not healthified, just as good as any other cheesecake he’s ever had! You really don’t notice the lack of butter in the crust since the graham cracker sheet still gives lots of flavor.

Too bad we ate all these last night…but good thing I bought another box of cream cheese at the grocery store today!

As far as nutrional stats…check these babies out…

For 1:

150 calories

6 g protein

16 g carbs

My gosh, I wish I would have made these while I was pregnant and had gestational diabetes, they have only 1 small serving of carbs! I will have to remember this for my next pregnancy! And where else can you get a piece of cheesecake for 150 calories and 6 g protein?

Hm I think I just talked myself into making these again tonight!