Monday, February 15, 2010

Cranberry Orange Cheesecake -- low calorie but delicious!

The following is a low-caloried recipe that I made. I did it a little differently and it came out fabulous. I only made a third of the recipe and I used a glass container. Also I did not use the butter and simply put the crumbs in the dish. When you pour the mixture on top and bake, the crumbs make a good crust that doesn't fall apart. You save the calories of skipping the butter.

Bon appetit'!

Cranberry-Orange Cheesecake
• ⅔ cup crushed chocolate wafer cookies (12 to 13 cookies)
• 1½ tsp. finely shredded orange peel, divided
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 3 8-oz. pkgs. reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• ⅓ cup snipped dried cranberries
• ¼ cup low-calorie cranberry juice or fat-free milk
• ½ cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For crust, in bowl combine crushed cookies and 1 teaspoon of the orange peel. Stir in butter. Press crust in bottom of 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
• 2. In mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour with electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and remaining ½ tsp. orange peel until combined. Fold in dried cranberries and juice. Pour into crust-lined pan. Sprinkle with fresh cranberries.
• 3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a 2-½-inch area around edges appears set when gently shaken. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen edges from sides of pan. Cool for 30 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.