Blueberry Cheesecake Bites

Let's get one thing straight: cheesecake is not my favorite dessert.  However, it is the number one dessert I know how to make that can be done reduced carb and low fat without sacrificing taste.

Wait, what, low fat cheesecake?  Absolutely.  Reduced fat cream cheese, egg whites, and nonfat yogurt are the primary ingredients here.  The crust is nut based, which does have fat, but it's a "good fat".  I'm adding as little sugar as I can get away with and still consider this a treat, relying on the blueberries to bring their "free" carbs that don't count against me.  Plus, I'm trying erythritol, a no-carb sweetener.  It's derived from sugar alcohols and tastes like sugar.  It's expensive, so I don't seeing it as being a permanent part of my diet, but one bag on clearance was worth a try.  Aside from all that, it's just the blender cheesecake recipe.

In the interest of portion control, I made cupcake-sized mini cheesecakes.  The first 1/3 recipe cake I made, I cut it into 6 portions.  While the math on that works, I felt like the slices were too big.  These cupcakes were smaller, and easier to freeze.  Out of sight, out of mouth.

When most people hear something-berry cheesecake, they think of pie filling over a regular vanilla cake.  I'm throwing most of them into the blender with the batter.  Yes, it turns the pie purple.  I feel like that's a nice contrast to the topping, and makes the flavor uniform.  You aren't biting into one sweet berry and one that wasn't quite right.

I'm using frozen blueberries.  Fruit has gotten expensive, like everything else.  I could get a pound frozen for the same price as 6 ounces fresh.  Easy math.

Crust

*3/4 C ground almonds (can be almond flour or running sliced through the processor)
1 Tb sugar (or erythritol)
1 Tb butter, melted

1.  Stir together all ingredients.  If starting with sliced almonds, pulse nuts with sugar in the processor to desired consistency, then pulse in butter.

2.  Pat 1 Tb into each of 12 lined muffin cups.  This was when I found out I had bought "jumbo" muffin liners instead of regular.  Must remember to pick up more regulars.  Actually, this recipe would likely work better with silicone cups, so maybe I should invest in those.  Also, I had been guessing a yield of 8-10 out of the batter, and this makes 12, so the photos won't exactly match.

3.  Set aside while you make the batter.  Can also be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Batter

8oz block Neufchatel (reduced-fat) cream cheese
5 oz fat free plain Greek yogurt (one single-serve container)
1/3 C egg whites or 2 eggs
1/3 C sugar (or erythritol)
1/2 C blueberries
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp rosewater

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.

2.  Everybody in the blender or food processor.  Run until smooth.

3.  Pour into prepared muffin cups.  Bake 20 minutes, or until lightly set in the middle.  They're going to deflate.  Turn off oven and allow to cool slowly for 1 hour, to minimize the sagging.

4.  Remove from baking tray and refrigerate until ready to serve, 4 to 24 hours.  I recommend leaving them in the paper.  If you really must remove them, wait until they are chilled and they will tear less.

Toppings

1/2 C low-fat sour cream
2 Tb sugar (or erythritol), divided
3/4 C blueberries

1.  In a small saucepan, stir together blueberries and 1 Tb sugar.  I also added 1 Tb water to help things along.  Warm over medium heat until you get a low boil.  Stir frequently while blueberries soften and make a sauce.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2.  Stir together sour cream and other tablespoon of sugar.  Spread over cheesecake bites.  Serve with blueberry sauce, either on top or as a side to spoon on.

Makes one dozen

Difficulty rating  :)