Spring is in the air, or it should be considering it is March. And because I feel like we are still living in January with these arctic temperatures we’ve been having in the tundra. I thought I would whip up a great recipe for spring to put a smile on our faces. I mean who doesn’t love a good creamy dessert? Check out these no-bake cheesecake bites (Okay, that is somewhat a lie as you have to bake the crust for 10ish minutes). But there is no baking in the cheesecake. Does that mean it is no fail? I believe so!
Plus, there is minimal sugar because most of the flavor is going to come from the cream cheese (the fat). Low-sugar, flavorful, creamy, grain-free, guilt-free (okay maybe we can’t go that far) goodness. Are you sick of my cravings for anything creamy….pudding, cheesecake, pudding, cheesecake and did I mention pudding. Obsession.
Besides these intense cravings for anything creamy, this is my normal go-to dessert. I’m not much of a cake-girl. GASP! I know, it’s not my thing. I would rather have a big slice of creamy cheesecake or a slice of fruity pie or cobbler. MMMMmmm…drool.
So these blueberry cheesecake bites are for all the non-cake lovers in the world…along with everyone else. They’re great to make to feed a crowd, but also great as something small and sweet after any ol’ dinner. They will keep in the refrigerator for a while, I think. They never make it too many days in our house.
Maybe I should even put a warning on these things: BEWARE highly addictive.
And as a side note, for quicker preparation place crust in an 8×8 inch pan and top with cheesecake. You can make bars with this,
or just scoop it out with a spoon. Not that I would ever do that….
- CRUST:
- Crust:
- 1 cup pecans, ground or finely chopped
- ½ cup walnuts, ground or finely chopped
- ¾ cup almond meal or ground flaxseed
- 1 egg white
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted (coconut oil works as well)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼-1/3 cup honey
- CHEESECAKE:
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed)
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 2 (8-ounce) packages FULL-FAT cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg or ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup powdered coconut sugar, sifted
- Preheat oven to 425.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine ground pecans, walnuts, almond meal, cinnamon, and mix.
- Add egg white, melted butter and honey.
- Mix until the crust looks even and consistent.
- Place the crust in an even layer on the bottom of an eight inch cheesecake pan (or an 8 x 11 inch pan for bars).
- Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the crust in nice and golden. Cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat ¼ cup softened butter and the cream cheese until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the mixer.
- Add blueberries and mix to combine.
- Add vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and combine until smooth.
- Reduce speed to medium low and add powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time; beat until smooth.
- Transfer mixture to prepared pan, spreading it out evenly over the crust.
- Cover and chill until set, about 2 hours, or overnight (we couldn’t wait this long and it was still delicious).
- Cut into slices and serve.