Low calorie mini gingerbread cheesecakes
These low calorie mini gingerbread cheesecakes are autumn in dessert form! Each mini cheesecake has a buttery soft cookie base with a perfectly spiced cream cheese filling. They make the perfect fall dessert when you’re in need of a seasonal sweet treat whilst sticking to your goals.
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These low calorie mini gingerbread cheesecakes are perfect for the holiday season. They satisfy your sweet tooth at just 60 calories a cheesecake. If you’re anything like me and love a cozy, autumnal sweet treat on a gloomy day, these gingerbread cheesecakes are a must make! They are perfect to bridge the gap between summer and winter.
If you love a sweet treat that is quick and easy to throw together and will hold up well in the fridge, these low calorie mini gingerbread cheesecakes are it! They are super simple to make and will last you a good couple of days whilst maintaining their delicious flavor and smooth texture. Each cheesecake has a buttery soft cookie base topped with the creamiest, perfectly spiced cheesecake filling – what could be better?
Ingredients
Exact ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of this page.
To make these low calorie mini gingerbread cheesecakes you will need:
Rich tea biscuits – To make the base for the cheesecakes. Rich tea biscuits (cookies) have a mild, buttery and sweet flavor and while there isn’t a direct US alternative, graham crackers are the closest replacement.
Low-fat butter – To hold the base together, I used Flora lighter. You can opt for regular butter if you don’t have access to low-fat butter but the calories will be higher. You can also use applesauce for a very low calorie alternative.
0 calorie brown sugar – 0 calorie brown sugar is a great alternative in recipes where you’d use brown sugar. It is perfect for any spiced recipe and compliments the spices really well whilst adding that sweetness and warmth. You can sub for any 0 calorie granulated sweetener.
Egg – This recipe calls for just 1 egg at room temperature. To quickly get a refrigerated egg to room temperature, place in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes or leave on the kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes.
Philadelphia lightest – Philadelphia lightest is a really low calorie cream cheese with around 3% fat content. If you don’t have access to 3% fat cream cheese, you can sub for low-fat cream cheese which will increase the calories slightly.
0% fat Greek yogurt – I used 0% fat greek yogurt for this recipe. Not only does it add volume to the cheesecake, but it also creates the smoothest, creamiest cheesecake when mixed with cream cheese. It also adds that classic cheesecake tang which we all love.
Vanilla extract – No sweet treat is complete without a dash of vanilla.
Ground spices – A blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
Plain/all-purpose flour – A small amount to help the cheesecakes set without the need for a water bath.
How to make low calorie mini gingerbread cheesecakes
- Pre-heat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Line a 12-count muffin tray with 12 muffin liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, make the cheesecake base by mixing together the cookie crumbs, melted butter, 0 calorie brown sugar and ground cinnamon until well combined.
- Scoop 2 heaped tsp of the base into each muffin liner and flatten with the back of a spoon. You should be able to fill all the muffin liners about 1/4 of the way. Bake for 10 minutes then set aside to cool.
- In the meantime, make the cheesecake filling by combining the egg, cream cheese, yogurt, 0 calorie brown sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Sift in the flour and spices and whisk to combine.
- Transfer the cheesecake filling to a piping bag, snip off the end and pour the filling over the baked bases. You want to fill them until they are mostly full with only a small amount of the liner empty at the top.
- Bake the mini cheesecakes for 25-35 minutes or until they stop wobbling in the centre.
- Allow the cheesecakes to cool at room temperature for an hour before transferring to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!
Storage
These mini cheesecakes will hold up in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store in an airtight container layered with a paper towel.
more mini cheesecakes…
Low calorie mini gingerbread cheesecakes
Ingredients
Base:
- 70 g rich tea biscuits* crushed into crumbs
- 30 g low-fat butter* melted
- 20 g 0 calorie brown sugar*
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Cheesecake filling:
- 1 egg room temperature
- 150 g Philadelphia lightest* room temperature
- 150 g 0% fat greek yogurt room temperature
- 100 g 0 calorie brown sugar*
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
- 7 g plain/all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Line a 12-count muffin tray with 12 muffin liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, make the cheesecake base by mixing together the cookie crumbs, melted butter, 0 calorie brown sugar and ground cinnamon until well combined.
- Scoop 2 heaped tsp of the base into each muffin liner and flatten with the back of a spoon. You should be able to fill all the muffin liners about 1/4 of the way. Bake for 10 minutes then set aside to cool.
- In the meantime, make the cheesecake filling by combining the egg, cream cheese, yogurt, 0 calorie brown sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Sift in the flour and ground spices and whisk to combine.
- Transfer the cheesecake filling to a piping bag, snip off the end and pour the filling over the baked bases. You want to fill them until they are mostly full with only a small amount of the liner empty at the top.
- Bake the mini cheesecakes for 25-35 minutes or until they stop wobbling in the centre.
- Allow the cheesecakes to cool at room temperature for an hour before transferring to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
