Healthy Mocha Mini Cheesecakes
Posted: 03/09/2011
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Satisfy your craving for a creamy chocolate dessert with mini mocha cheesecakes. An easy cheesecake recipe that is low fat and tastes great!
This easy chocolate dessert has a surprise ingredient — cottage cheese! Before you say yuck! and stop reading, take a minute to consider the health benefits of cottage cheese. Low in calories and fat, cottage cheese is protein-packed: 28 grams per one cup serving.
In addition, cottage cheese contains lots of phosphorus, selenium, Vitamin B12, riboflavin, and other nutrients your body needs. Cream cheese can’t hold a candle to that kind of nutrition, plus it’s high in fat.
But….how does cheesecake taste when you replace cream cheese with cottage cheese? Surprisingly good! Mini mocha cheesecakes have great chocolate flavor and a creamy texture. I love the mini chocolate wafer crust.
Each cheesecake has 222 calories and only 5 grams of fat. A slice of New York style cheesecake will average 390 calories, and a whopping 25 grams of fat. I don’t know about you, but if I’m looking for a chocolate fix, and I can find one that is lower in calories and tastes great, the choice is easy.
About mini mocha cheesecakes
You’ll need a food processor and a cupcake pan or silicon cupcake molds to make these easy cheesecakes.
- Add two cups of cottage cheese, a couple of eggs, powdered sugar, a bit of flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla to the bowl of your food processor. Process until the mixture is nice and smooth. It takes about two minutes, literally. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Put paper cupcake liners into the cupcake pan. You’ll need twelve. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the wells and place a chocolate wafer cookie on top of each. Yes, on top! Weird, huh?
- Pop these little gems into the oven for 25 minutes or so, until the filling is set. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate at least one hour, but up to three days. It’s so convenient to make these ahead if you’re expecting guests.
To serve, place a cheesecake upside down on a plate, and carefully peel off the cupcake liner. Voila! the chocolate wafer is now the crust! If you want, you can top these with a dab of whipped cream (I won’t judge if you use canned whipped cream, I do it all the time). A few strawberries or raspberries sprinkled on top adds a nice touch, or a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
Make it your own:
- If you don’t care for espresso, just leave it out, or substitute a couple drops of mint extract for a minty chocolate cheesecake.
- Fold mini chocolate chips into the batter.
- Use a vanilla wafer cookie instead of the chocolate.
- Use full fat or low sodium cottage cheese. It doesn’t really matter what size the curds are because they get pulverized in the food processor.
- Be creative with garnishes. Top with a dab of whipped cream (I won’t judge if you use canned whipped cream, I do it all the time). A few strawberries or raspberries sprinkled on top adds a nice touch, or a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce.
Cottage cheese, hidden hero
Love the idea of adding nutrition and protein to your diet? Try these surprisingly delicious cottage cheese recipes:
- Egg White Frittata with spinach and green chiles
- Cinnamon Swirl Breakfast Cheesecake
- Chocolate Protein Pancakes
- Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes
- Southwestern Black Bean Dip
- Pita Flatbread with asparagus and herbed cottage cheese
- Peach Banana Smoothie
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Satisfy your craving for a creamy chocolate dessert with mini mocha cheesecakes. An easy cheesecake recipe that is low fat and tastes great!
Ingredients
- 2 cups low fat cottage cheese (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 9 chocolate wafer cookies, such as Famous
- Additional garnishes: whipped cream, chocolate syrup, fresh raspberries (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with cupcake liners or silicone liners.
- In food processor, combine cottage cheese, eggs, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, flour, espresso powder, and vanilla. Process until smooth, 2 minutes. Scrape down sides as needed.
- Divide mixture among the cups and place 1 cookie on top of each.
- Bake until filling is set and cookies soften, 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature in pan on a wire rack, then refrigerate at least 1 hour (or covered, up to 3 days).
- To serve, invert cheesecakes onto plates and peel off liners. Top with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, or fresh fruit, if desired.
Notes
- Use full fat or low sodium cottage cheese. It doesn't really matter what size the curds are because they get pulverized in the food processor.
- Omit espresso powder if desired, or substitute a couple drops of mint extract for a minty chocolate cheesecake.
- Fold mini chocolate chips into the batter if you'd like.
- Vanilla wafer cookies may be used instead of chocolate wafer cookies.
- Use full fat or low sodium cottage cheese. It doesn't really matter what size the curds are because they get pulverized in the food processor.
- Be creative with garnishes. Top with a dab of whipped cream. A few strawberries or raspberries sprinkled on top adds a nice touch, or a drizzle of hot fudge sauce or caramel sauce.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 69kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 195mg, Potassium: 96mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 56IU, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Verdict: This is an easy and low fat/low calorie dessert that you can make ahead. What’s not to like?
Husband’s take: He said it was slightly on the salty side. I was impressed with his perceptiveness. The cottage cheese does give it a fair amount of sodium.
Changes I would make: Next time I’ll try reduced sodium cottage cheese.
Difficulty: Easy cheesecakes.
Emily says
I think the desert looks pretty good! We can eat rich, unhealthy desserts every day, so this would be a good substitute. I think I'd like it. :)