Mini Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

My husband and I made a startling discovery over the past couple of weeks...

Our two year old daughter does not like cheesecake!

Gasp.

It first started when we were at our local Sam's Club doing a little shopping. One of baby girl's favorite things about going to Sam's is the little sampling stations.

And who am I kidding?

It is definitely one of my fave perks as well. ;) 

On this rare occasion, my husband was off from work and joined us on our shopping trip.

They were passing out New York cheesecake samples at one of the stations, and my husband grabbed three little paper cups of cheesecake- one for each of us.

Now you see, my husband and I just love cheesecake. 

But baby girl? 

Not so much. She took one bite, immediately made a gagging sort of noise, and then spit it out.

Yes, folks- she spit it out!

My husband and I just looked at each other in wide-eyed disbelief. The little girl who eats and likes just about anything doesn't like cheesecake??

Maybe it is an acquired taste that she will learn to appreciate with age, but for the meantime I am going to fully enjoy and take advantage of the one dessert that my two year old doesn't actually want to share with me.

Yes, the cheesecake is mine all mine... for now.

I certainly had no desire to share this creamy & delicious Mini Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake with anyone anyways. ;)

I adapted this recipe from the Mini Cheesecakes recipe I found in my Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System recipe booklet and made my own lightened up version- no butter in these babies and I subbed some of the cream cheese with healthy, nonfat Greek yogurt...

{Lighter} Strawberry Cheesecakes for Two

Okay, by now we all know that I am not the light food blogger or the healthy lifestyle chick.  I mean, I try to eat the balanced diet and all, but let's face it.... I have a sweet tooth.

A mean sweet tooth.  

When Brin from Bold Butter Baby approached me about becoming a monthly healthy recipe contributor to her blog, I scratched my head at first.  Has she seen my recipes?  I am definitely no two sticks of butter Paula Dean over here, but I am also no Ellie Krieger either.  

But I saw this as the perfect opportunity to challenge myself to develop at least one healthier recipe each month.  

Perfectly doable.

Now you all may be confused at this point...

Cheesecakes?  I am sure you all asking why in the world would I be starting a monthly healthy recipes blog contribution with a cheesecake recipe??  

Two words... Greek. Yogurt.

And I thought this duo of creamy cheesecakes would be absolutely perfect for that special Valentine's Day dinner you may be planning. ;)  

(By the way, did you catch my recipe for Herb & Apple Roasted Chicken yesterday? I should mention it is also waistline friendly & the perfect main course for a Valentine's Day dinner.)

What you will need:

4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1 5.3 oz. container of strawberry Greek yogurt

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar (I am not an artificial sweetener fan, but you could substitute a low calorie sweetener to make this recipe even lighter.)

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp butter, melted

Two 4 inch springform pans (4 inch ramekins would work too- you just wouldn't be able to pop out the cheesecakes all pretty like I have ;) )

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.  Spray cooking spray inside both of your springform pans and then wrap the bottoms and sides of the pans with foil.  

In a small bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1 tbsp of sugar, and the melted butter.

Place half of the graham cracker crumb mixture into each of the pans.  Lightly press the crumbs into the bottom and slightly up the sides of each pan.  Set both of the pans with the prepared crust on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

While the crusts are baking, whip up your strawberry cheesecake batter.  In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and sugar until smooth and creamy.  Now beat in the egg and the vanilla.  

Once the crusts are done, allow them to cool slightly- maybe 10-15 minutes.  

Then pour the cheesecake filling evenly into each crust.  

Bake the cheesecakes on the baking sheet for another 40-45 minutes, until the centers are set.

Let the cheesecakes cool in the pans for about 20 minutes on a wire rack.  Then carefully pop off the sides of the springform pan and store the cheesecakes still on their pan bases in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve your cheesecakes, just take them out of the fridge, slide them off of their pan bottoms & onto serving plates.  I topped our cheesecakes with a few fresh strawberry slices & some dark chocolate shavings.

The husband raved about this cheesecake.  To use his own words, "this is like something you would get in a restaurant!".  I will take that as a compliment. ;)

So, what kind of lightened up recipe would you like to see me attempt next month? 

{Lighter} Strawberry Cheesecakes for Two

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

6041639

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 5.3 oz. container of strawberry Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar (I am not an artificial sweetener fan, but you could substitute a low calorie sweetener to make this recipe even lighter.)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• Two 4 inch springform pans (4 inch ramekins would work too)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Spray cooking spray inside both of your springform pans and then wrap the bottoms and sides of the pans with foil.

In a small bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1 tbsp of sugar, and the melted butter.

Place half of the graham cracker crumb mixture into each of the pans. Lightly press the crumbs into the bottom and slightly up the sides of each pan. Set both of the pans with the prepared crust on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

While the crusts are baking, whip up your strawberry cheesecake batter. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and sugar until smooth and creamy. Now beat in the egg and the vanilla.

Once the crusts are done, allow them to cool slightly- maybe 10-15 minutes.

Then pour the cheesecake filling evenly into each crust.

Bake the cheesecakes on the baking sheet for another 40-45 minutes, until the centers are set.

Let the cheesecakes cool in the pans for about 20 minutes on a wire rack. Then carefully pop off the sides of the springform pan and store the cheesecakes still on their pan bases in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve your cheesecakes, just take them out of the fridge, slide them off of their pan bottoms & onto serving plates. I topped our cheesecakes with a few fresh strawberry slices & some dark chocolate shavings.

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