SERVES: Approximately 12 bite-sized cheesecakes
Ingredients:
250g lower fat soft cheese
50g 0% greek yoghurt
1 thumb-sized piece of stem ginger, finely chopped
1 Tbsp stem ginger syrup
30g icing sugar (or xylitol – see above)
60g crushed rich tea biscuits
2 Tbsp of lemon juice
25g melted butter
1/2tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Few drops of vanilla extract
Recipe Summary
Halfway between a cheesecake and a semifreddo, these little treats are probably the quickest dessert you will ever make – great to keep in the freezer for unexpected guests over Christmas! Let them thaw for a bit before eating, but don’t leave at room temperature for too long; if they get too warm they will just make a (tasty) cheesecake puddle!
Lower fat cream cheese and yoghurt are higher in bone-strengthening calcium and protein than the full fat versions. Feel free to also experiment with alternative sweeteners if you want to cut back on your sugar intake. Xylitol is a natural-based sweetener that also helps protects against dental cavities and ear infections; I find it works best in cold deserts as it has a slightly cooling mouthfeel.
If you choose to use a fresh lemon, roll it on the counter with your palm or microwave it for 20 seconds to make it easier on your hands to juice.
Method:
Grease a mini muffin tin well, or line with cases.
Make the biscuit base first by crushing the biscuits – you can bash with a rolling pin, in a plastic bag, or blitz in a food processor. Stir the melted butter, ground ginger and cinnamon into the crumbs and press a teaspoon of this mixture into every muffin case, pressing down well to compact it.
In a bowl, stir together the cream cheese, yoghurt and icing sugar. Add the ginger, syrup, vanilla and lemon juice and fold. Don’t over-mix or it will curdle! Spoon this mixture into each of the muffin cases and gently smooth off. Freeze the cheesecakes for 30’, then turn out and allow to thaw a little before serving.
If you made these in advance, simply defrost as many as you need about 15’ before eating.
Nutrition(per serving): 87kcal; 4.8g fat, of which 2.9g saturates; 8.8g carbohydrates, of which 6.1g sugars; 0.2g fibre; 2.3g