Crustless Lemon Honey Cheesecake

Here's the thing:

I don't like cheesecake.

Yep, I said it.  It's something about the cream cheese taste and how incredibly heavy the cake is.

The good thing is, I managed to fix everything I don't like in this Lemon Cheesecake which I love.  Now I'm a downright Cheesecake Lover!

This Lemon Honey Cheesecake is made primarily with 2% greek yogurt.  It's important to use the 2% so that your cheesecake comes out nice and creamy.  I also added cream cheese to the base of the cheesecake.

Next comes lemon juice and lemon zest.  This adds a huge pop of flavor.  Lemon is a must when it comes to summer flavors.  But, of course, lemon is very sour.  The cheesecake needed a sweetener, and I knew just what to use.

As you can see from the title of this post, honey was my preferred sweetener in this recipe.  This is because it pairs great with lemon and is a liquid, and will therefore blend well into the cheesecake filling.  Honey is a great substitution for any liquid sweetener.  I've found that it's sweeter than maple syrup, which definitely comes in handy when trying to limit sugar.

In addition to this, honey enhances the flavor of tons of ingredients.  In this recipe it works very nicely with the lemon.  I adore honey and lemon together!

So next time you're entertaining and want to blow your audience away with a healthy dessert, look no further than this Lemon Honey Cheesecake.  Yes, it is that good.

Crustless Lemon Honey Cheesecake

• 1 1/2 cups plain 2% greek yogurt (I don't recommend using fat free)
• 1 cup non fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp honey
• 3 egg whites (9 tbsp if using the kind in a carton)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot starch or cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.  It will look thin and watery, but that's ok.  Pour mixture into a greased 8x8 circle pan (a springform is best).  Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Chill in fridge overnight, or for at least 8 hours.  After chilled, cut into slices and serve chilled.  Store leftovers in the fridge.

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  Things have been crazy busy over here.  Hopefully everything will be back on track soon.

In the meantime, enjoy this Lemon Cheesecake.  It is sooooo yummy.

Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by National Honey Board and am eligible to win  prizes associated with the contest. I received a gift card to offset the expense of my ingredients.

Revisited Recipe of the Day: 

Honey Banana Ginger Almond Butter

Ginger Oatmeal Cookie Sanwiches with Creamy Yogurt Filling

'Tis the season for cookies.  Lots and lots of them!

I love how during the holiday season you can walk into almost any party and see plates and plates of wonderfully unique cookies.

I may not sample every kind at each party I visit, but I sure do love looking at the huge spreads.  They provide so much inspiration for future recipe creations.  For example, there's this salted chocolate cookie that my friend makes and I've been meaning to create a "clean" version for, like, forever.  I just keep forgetting to ask for the recipe so I know what the salt to chocolate ratio is.

Today, however, I have a different clean Christmas cookie to share.  And it comes in the form of a cookie sandwich.  And you know what that means... you get TWO cookies, but get to count it as only one.  Therefore, you get double the cookies for the same amount of guilt.  And because these cookies are relatively good for you, that amount of guilt it almost nothing.

How awesome is that?

You know what's even more awesome?  The flavor of the cookie itself.

It's like a gingersnap, crossed with an oatmeal cookie, crossed with a whoopie pie.

Ummmm... hello.  Incredible, right?  Give 'em a try!

Ginger Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches with Creamy Yogurt Filling

For Cookies:

• 2 tbsp flaxseeds, ground
• 1 egg white
• 1 banana
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 4 tbsp molasses
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp applesauce

For Filling:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• about 1 tsp water

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a small bowl, mix together flax and egg white.  Set aside.  Microwave banana for about 45 seconds, then mash in a large bowl.  Add in remaining cookie ingredients.  Mix well until a thick dough is formed.
3. Drop dough by rounded tsp onto 1 or 2 greased baking sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove cookies for oven and press down so that they form cookie shapes instead of balls.  Bake for another 3 minutes.  Take out of oven and let cool.
4. In a cereal bowl, stir together yogurt, cream cheese, and vanilla extract (ingredients from filling section).  In a ramekin (or other small dish), combine the brown sugar and water.  Let it sit for a couple minutes.  After that time, add it to the yogurt mixture and mix again to combine. 
5. Take 1 cookie, and spread it with a thin layer of the yogurt filling.  Top with another cookie. Repeat until no cookies remain, or there is only 1 left over.  Store cookies in fridge.  They also freeze well.

Enjoy!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Pumpkin Raisin Baked Oatmeal Bars