My homemade cheesecake is a favorite recipe in this house. Dave requests it for his birthday cake every year and we both savor every bite. I love that this cheesecake is a bit healthier, while still being decadent. Sometimes you just have to splurge, am I right?
I did my very best to make this as healthy and minimal as possible, but you can't really get around the cream cheese (it's cheesecake!). It's nice to not have to feel guilty after indulging in a piece of this cheesecake though...as long as you stop after one piece. ;)
You can even add a few pieces of fruit on top, it tastes delicious with the cheesecake and it adds a few antioxidants. Win-win.
Ingredients for crust >>
2 Cups crushed graham crackers
6 Tbsp unsalted organic butter
4 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Cheesecake Ingredients >>
3 8oz packages of cream cheese (I used Horizon organic)
1 Cup sugar
3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 Lemon
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (you can use whole eggs, or egg whites/egg replacements if you're watching your cholesterol)
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all of the crust ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined and sticking together. Push crust into the bottom (and a bit of the sides) of a pie pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
When finished, set aside and set oven to 425.
While crust is cooking beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a hand mixer (or in a kitchen aid stand mixer- it makes it so much easier!) until it starts to get smooth. Add sugar, flour, juice of the lemon, and vanilla...mix again until smooth. Slowly add the eggs while mixing.
Just a tip on the mixing of all the filling, if you aren't using a kitchen aid stand mixer, put your bowl on the warm stove as the crust is cooking...it will help the cheesecake get a bit softer, making it easier for you to mix.
Pour the filling in the crust. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Then bake at 250 for about 40-45 minutes. Let cool at room temperature and then cover and place in the fridge. Let your cheesecake sit in the fridge for at least a few hours or overnight.
Enjoy! My sweet husband say it's, "the BEST cheesecake he's ever had!"...and that was after having Cheesecake Factory cheesecake days before. ;)
More recipes here.
♡ Mallorie