It’s so rich and velvety smooth. I bet you’re thinking, you’d have to pass on cheesecake if you’re trying to watch you’re weight, right? But not with this one. So worthy to indulge in, once in a while. It freezes great too. Each skinny slice has 245 calories and 9 grams of fat. If you’re a cheesecake fan like I really am, I pretty sure this recipe will make you smile!
Ingredients
Ingredients for Crust:
- 1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs, see shopping tip and prep tips to make your own crumbs
- 2 tablespoons reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light
Ingredients for Filling:
- 2 (8 oz.) packages reduced-fat cream cheese (I like Philadelphia 25% less fat)
- 2 large eggs, I love Egg-land’s Best eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Ingredients for Topping:
- 2 cups fat-free sour cream (1 pint)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- To make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Set aside 1 tablespoon for topping. Press the rest of the crumbs into bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.
- To make filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer or a hand mixer, beat cream cheeses until fluffy and smooth. Slowly mix in sugar and eggs. Mix well until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour mixture over crust and spread evenly.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the center is set. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes.
- To make topping: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spread sour cream mixture over top of slightly cooled cheesecake. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of graham cracker crumbs that were set aside over the top. Bake 5 minutes. *Cool and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before removing from pan and serving.
Notes
Makes 12 servings (each serving 1 slice, 1/12 of cheesecake)
Shopping Tips
You can buy a box of Honey Maid graham cracker crumbs ready to go for this cheesecake. It’s sold in the baking aisle of the supermarket.
Prep Tips
To make your own crumbs:
Baking Tips
Always beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy before adding all the other ingredients. Once the cheese is fluffy, slowly add the rest of the ingredients. If you beat too much air into the batter the cheesecake can fall during baking Cheesecake needs even heat to rise properly. It’s best not to open the oven to peek for the first 30 minutes. Drafts can cause the cheesecake to crack. But don’t worry if it does because there is a sour cream topping to cover any cracks.
Storage Tips
Keep covered in the refrigerator for several days. This cheesecake also freezes great. Cut into single servings, wrap and freeze. When ready to unfreeze, unwrap and defrost on top of the counter. WW POINTS PLUS 6
Shopping Tips
You can buy a box of Honey Maid graham cracker crumbs ready to go for this cheesecake. It’s sold in the baking aisle of the supermarket.
Prep Tips
To make your own crumbs:
- You’ll need about 14 graham crackers to make 1¼ cups crushed.
- Break the graham crackers into smaller pieces. To turn those pieces into crumbs, use a food processor or blender. Pulse until you’ve got crumbs.
- To make crumbs the old-fashioned way, put the graham cracker pieces in a large, heavy-duty resealable bag. (Leave a small opening in the top of the bag to allow air to escape.) Using a little pressure, roll a rolling pin over the plastic bag. Continue rolling the pin over the bag until the cookies are broken into crumbs.
Baking Tips
Always beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy before adding all the other ingredients. Once the cheese is fluffy, slowly add the rest of the ingredients. If you beat too much air into the batter the cheesecake can fall during baking Cheesecake needs even heat to rise properly. It’s best not to open the oven to peek for the first 30 minutes. Drafts can cause the cheesecake to crack. But don’t worry if it does because there is a sour cream topping to cover any cracks.
Storage Tips
Keep covered in the refrigerator for several days. This cheesecake also freezes great. Cut into single servings, wrap and freeze. When ready to unfreeze, unwrap and defrost on top of the counter. WW POINTS PLUS 6
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 slice 245 calories, 9g fat, 5g protein, 31g carbs, 0g fiber, 291mg sodium, 24g sugar |
| FAT FACTS: for 1 slice Cheesecake Factory’s Original 707 calories, 29g sat fat, 62g carbs, 425mg sodium |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSodium: 291mgSugar: 24gPlus Points: 6
