My favorite part of a meal is dessert. As a dietitian, I probably shouldn’t admit this. The trick is learning how to enjoy a few small blissful bites rather than a large, full-size portion. Most of the time, I find that a small , mini treat is just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. Get creative with your choice of serving dishes. Using tall shot glasses, ramekins or old-fashioned tea cups with petite spoons or forks makes for a fun, whimsical treat without breaking your calorie bank. The Recipe Redux challenge this month was to prepare a small bite dessert so I found these deliciously light and creamy mini-cheesecakes from EatingWell Test Kitchen (recipe is slightly modified for this post).
Mini Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecakes
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 whole graham crackers)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
8 ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
8-ounce package Neufchatel cream cheese (a naturally lower in fat cream cheese)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries
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Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 48 mini muffin cups with mini muffin liners. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press about 3/4 teaspoon in the bottom on each muffin cup.
Beat ricotta in large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cream cheese, eggs, sugar,lemon zest and juice, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth. Spoon a few teaspoons of batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle a few blueberries into each cup. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until center is almost set. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes then refrigerate until cold. For a small sweet treat, serve 3-4 mini- cheesecakes per person with extra blueberries if desired.
Click here for EatingWell Test Kitchen’s original recipe.
judymatusky.com
Love this!!!! *followed*
Thank you!