I Made It!: Mini-Cheesecakes

Another new idea I had for a weekly thing. Now debuting...
I DID IT!

Here, I think I'll feature little things. "I made it," "I ate it," "I read it," etc. Good? Good.
This week? I made it!: Mini-Cheesecakes.


All right. Anyone who really knows me knows I am a cheesecake fanatic. Good for the soul, right? The waistline, not so much. Actually, it could possibly one of the worst things for your waistline.
In fact, one piece (1/6 of a 17 oz. cheesecake) of commercially-prepared cheesecake often averages over 260 calories, and that's without toppings. It'll provide you with a jaw-dropping 18 grams of fat. I wasn't exactly shocked when I read this, but it still put things into perspective.

So...I was very sad when I had to give up this little luxury in my life. Until a few days ago, when I was browsing a fantastic recipe site (created by Sparkpeople.com) called Sparkrecipes.com. And I came across a highly rated recipe for "Mini-cheesecakes." My ears perked up, and I clicked the link.

The recipe seemed easy enough, so I decided to save it for later. It goes as follows:

Ingredients
12 low-fat vanilla wafers
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
12 oz. fat-free cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Cherry pie filling

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with 12 foil cupcake papers. Place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cupcake paper.

2. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and fat-free cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add eggs and beat until smooth.

3. Pour cheesecake mixture into muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

4. Decorate cheesecake tops with cherry pie filling.

Makes 12 cheesecakes/servings.

Good, right? It gets better. The recipe states it contains fewer than half the amount of calories of a regular cheesecake. Granted, it's probably not the same size as a piece of cheesecake, but it fills about 3/4 of a muffin cup. That's more than enough to satisfy your little cravings without going overboard, in my opinion.

However, the fat content is where these really take the (cheese)cake. Excuse the pun. Less than 1/4 the amount of a regular slice of cheesecake.

Here are some stats:

Calories: 120

Fat: 4.4 g

Sodium: 211.5 g

Carbs: 14.4 g

Protein: 6 g

So, of course it isn't the best thing you could be eating, but just because we're watching our eating doesn't mean we need to deny ourselves. It's important to learn to balance your life. And these are a delicious way to balance it out!

The only gripe I have is that there is no documenting on the recipe of sugar content. There obviously is some, since sugar is IN the actual recipe. But...I'm sure it's at least a little less than a regular piece. *crosses fingers*

Also, they do cave in, no matter what I seem to do. At least the two times I've done them now, they have. My second batch came out looking so plump and rounded at the top and PERFECT. And deflated within a matter of minutes. Not really a problem though after you start munching on one.

One way I cut calories even further is by not using the cherry pie filling on top. I don't particularly like it, so I sliced fresh strawberries and sprinkled them over it. It tastes wonderful!
You could use other fruits: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc. Or, you could use sugar-free pie fillings if you still like the filling idea. Be creative!

I'm bringing these to a family Labor Day picnic tomorrow. I'm hoping they go over well! I think I'll bring the nutrition information along, just to inform that eating better doesn't mean strictly fruits and veggies.

Also, look for a picture post tomorrow with my baking journey included!

Conclusion: ★★★★★!

I know, my first rating is a perfect 5-star rating. Despite no info on sugar content and a bit of deflation, these are amazing. After you eat one, you'll understand.