Pumpkin. Apple. Cinnamon. These are the flavors of fall.
Flavors for fuzzy socks and warm blankets. Flavors that sound like the
crackling of a wood fire or the rustling of leaves. Flavors meant for coffee
and conversations.
These iconic flavors
incorporated into my Mini Autumn Cheesecakes. They are perfect for a snacking
or a light after dinner desert. Of course, if you asked me, Id say they were
perfect any time. Midnight snack, anyone?
These bars were inspired by a recipe on one of my favorite
dessert blogs: Sally’s Baking Addiction. Sally does a fantastic version of
these in bar form featuring raspberry jam. Any boy, are they good. Being mildly
obsessed with fall flavors, I decided to make a version of her delicious treat
that spoke of the season. I replaced some of the gram crackers in the crust
with ginger snaps, folded in some freshly made cinnamon apple compote, and
swirled each cheesecake with a dollop of silky smooth Pumpkin Butter. The result?
A delicious dessert that satisfied my cravings for the season flavors.
Though you’d never guess, these delicious mini cheesecakes
are actually light. They Greek yogurt, Neufchatel cheese, and egg whites cut
the fat, and all nine cheesecakes are only sweetened with only ¼ cup sugar.
Neufchatel cheese is a French version of cream cheese. It is every bit as delicious,
its French after all, and has 1/3 of the fat of regular cream cheese. It can be
found in many grocery stores in the cream cheese section. If you can’t find it,
feel free to use reduced-fat cream cheese instead. These mini cheesecakes have
only 130 calories and are full of protein, making them breakfast, or midnight
snack, worthy.
Mini Autumn Cheesecakes
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the Filling:
8 oz. Neufchatel cheese, softened
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt, at room
temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin butter, divided
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar2 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup Pumpkin Butter (Recipe follows)
For the apple compote:
1/2 apple, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Directions:
Make the crust:
Combine the graham crackers crumbs,
gingersnap crumbs, and melted butter in a small bowl. Stir until the butter has
been evenly distributed amongst the crumbs.
Press the crumbs 9 muffin tin cups lined with muffin tin liners. Bake
for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.
Next, prepare the filling and apple compote
while the crusts cool.
For the apple compote:
Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add in
the diced apple, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook for a few minutes until apple
has softened. Set aside and allow to cool.
For the filling:
In a medium bowl whip the Neufchatel cheese
until creamy. Add in the Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup of the pumpkin butter, egg
whites, sugar ,flour, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg and beat until well combined and creamy. Fold
in the room temperature apple compote.
Spoon the filling into the muffin tins atop the cooled crust. Top each
muffin with a heaping teaspoon of pumpkin butter and swirl. Bake at 350 degrees
for 20 minutes. Shut off the oven and leave the cheesecakes in the oven for 10
more minutes. Remove and let completely cool before serving.
Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients:
1 medium pie pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 cinnamon stick
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and
cook for 12 hours on high, and an additional 4 hours on low. Remove the
cinnamon stick and puree until smooth like butter. Serve on pancakes, waffles,
ice cream, or swirl into my recipe for
Mini Autumn Cheesecakes.
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