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Classic Vanilla Cheesecake Made Skinny

 

Classic Vanilla Cheesecake Made Skinny
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!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Refrigerate Time: 6 hours
Total Time 7 hours
Servings 12
Calories 245kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients for Crust:

  • 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:
  1. You’ll need about 14 graham crackers to make 1¼ cups crushed.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it. Leave me a comment below or give it a rating. Thanks so much. Happy Skinny Cooking!

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