Not that you have to wait until Valentine’s Day to make this, but just in case you’re starting to think about hearts and chocolate and treats with the ones you love – I thought you might be interested in this recipe. You should probably make one now, then another early next week, then another on Valentine’s Day. Or would that be considered cheesecake overkill? (Is there such a thing?)
Remember this Chocolate Cheesecake Pie recipe I shared about this time last year? Here’s another similar idea using stevia to lightly sweeten. I also used my Shortbread recipe for the crust this time since I’ve discovered what a great, buttery crust it makes. It does not get any easier than this! (Here are Pumpkin Pie Bars with shortbread crust and Pumpkin Cheesecake with the same crust. Told you I love it.)
Easy Chocolate Cheesecake Dessert
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia to taste (I use 30-40 drops)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Baked and cooled Shortbread Crust
Cream together softened cream cheese, cocoa powder, vanilla, and stevia. Set aside. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold in cream cheese mixture until smooth. (I actually throw all ingredients together in my BlendTec and let it do all the work of whipping and blending at the same time.) Spread mixture over cooled Shortbread Crust. Cover and chill for about two hours until set. Makes about 18 servings.
If anyone is interested in making your own healthy gluten free desserts you should check out Gluten-Free Desserts. I personally love the desserts and they have helped me lose weight too. They are also safe for diabetics. Here is a link to a review http://inersche.com/2015/02/04/guilt-free-desserts-gluten-free-diabetic-safe-deserts-thoughts/
I just made a variation of your chocolate cheesecake pie last night for dessert and I can attest that it *can* be a little easier :) My husband needs to be gluten free and I did not have time to make a gluten free crust, so, after whipping up the filling I just plopped it into dessert cups. Easy and good!
Do you have a basic bread recipe (like for sandwich bread) that uses freshly ground flour?
Here’s the bread recipe we love: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial ;)
Just checking Ito see if the cheesecake amount will fit on top of the regular 9 by 9 pan amount of the shortbread… ? I want to make this today:-)
Oops, sorry I forgot to specify! I do double the shortbread recipe for a 9×13 pan. It’s a pretty thick crust though, so a single recipe spread thinner would also work. :)
Hi Laura-
I have a powdered stevia that I love but have had trouble finding a liquid one that doesn’t taste too bitter. Which brand do you use/prefer? Thanks so much :)
Ha-ha… never mind, Laura. I started thinking about it and vaguely remembered that you addressed this awhile ago. A quick website search and I found that you like NuNaturals. I’ll check that out :)
How much is 30 to 40 drops of stevia? I am wondering if I could use honey or maple syrup instead.
Thanks,
Mary Ann
The recipe Laura posted last year uses sucanat as the sweetener. A half cup, if I’m not mistaken (so a full cup for this recipe). I don’t see why you couldn’t use honey or maple syrup, though I would start with less (maybe a half cup) and go from there, but I tend to not like overly sweet.
Good luck!
What if you can’t have chocolate , what can you substitute for the cocoa powder ?
Thanks,
You can just leave out the cocoa powder and it will be a delicious, plain cheesecake. :)
Thanks Laura….why didn’t I think of that ? I guess I figured since it had chocolate in it, I would need to add something to replace it….glad to know you don’t :)
Made this tonight with a shortcake crust that I’d stashed in the freezer. So, so yummy! Two modifications that worked out: I used light cream cheese and I only put in a half cup of sugar to lower the sugar spike. We have raw heavy cream (and is really high in fat) so I used the lower fat cream cheese to approximate the creaminess of the original recipe.