Recipe: Mini Cherry Cheescakes

This sweet little cakes are very low in fat but high in taste!  Our Skinny Chef uses frozen cherries to cut back on the extremely high sugar content in canned fruit toppings made with high fructose corn syrup.

Makes 24 mini cheesecakes

1 1/2 cup low-fat graham crackers
2 tablespoons reduced-fat margarine, melted
1 8-ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg white
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Topping
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 12-ounce bag of frozen cherries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.  Combine crumbs and margarine in a small bowl.  Stir to moisten the crumbs.  Line 2 mini-muffin pans with muffin papers.  Distribute the crumbs among the papers and gently press them down with a spoon.  Set the tins aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg white, lemon juice, and vanilla using an electric mixture on medium speed.  Beat 1-2 minutes until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Spoon equal amounts of the cheese mixture over crumbs.  Bake 8-10 minutes until the cheese filling is firm.  Remove cheesecakes to a rack to cool.

Prepare the topping.  In a medium saucepan, whisk water and flour.  Add the cherries.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens and the cherries begin to soften.  Cool to room temperature.

When the topping is cool, spoon it over the cheesecakes.  Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated up to 3 days.

More Healthy Cookie Recipes:
Almond Chocolate Fudge
Chocolate Macaroons
Gingerbread Men
Healthy Sugar Cookies

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