Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bites

KristineChocolate, Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy "MAKEOVERS", Kid Friendly, Recipes4 Comments

 

Bars, or bites? Which would you prefer.  Well the bars are larger, so I’d definitely go with those!  This recipe is a perfect fall treat!  The texture is amazing and the sweetness is just right.  Since it seems to be pumpkin themed everything lately, I decided I wanted to do some sort of cheesecake.  I was able to make this dairy-free by using a tofu-based cream cheese substitute.  It really does taste like the real thing, you can’t tell its a substitute.  But of course, if you don’t need dairy-free, you can use regular cream cheese.  I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bites
 
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Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bites (gluten-free, dairy-free). Makes 16 bars or 36 bites
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Yield: 36 bites
Ingredients
For the Crust
  • 20 gluten free graham crackers, ground into crumbs (I used S'morables) or your favorite gluten free cookie (1½ cups approx of crumbs*)
  • 2 packets stevia (or 2 Tbsp sweetener of choice)
  • 4 Tbsp dairy free margarine (I used Earth Balance) or butter, melted (could also use coconut oil)
For the Filling
  • 2 x 8 oz tubs Toffuti Better Than Cream Cheese or Daiya Cream Cheese for non-dairy, otherwise, 2 x 8 oz blocks of light cream cheese
  • ¾ cup baking stevia or sweetener of choice - adjust to taste
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 3 egg whites (or ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp carton kind)
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (check label for dairy-free)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.
  2. Add melted margarine or butter to cracker/cookie crumbs. Mix together and press into pan evenly. Bake for 10 minutes until just golden around edges. Set aside to cool.
  3. Place cream cheese substitute in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add in stevia, pumpkin, egg whites, pumpkin pie spice, cornstarch and salt. Blend again until smooth.
  4. Put chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, microwaving in 30-second increments until melted. Once chocolate is melted, add ⅓ cup of the pumpkin filling mixture to the melted chocolate and stir until blended.
  5. Pour remaining pumpkin filling mixture on top of the crust. Drop dollops of the chocolate mixture onto the pumpkin mixture and swirl with a knife to make a marble pattern.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 28-30 min until firm. Once cooled, cover, and chill in the fridge at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days).
  7. Cut into 16 squares or 36 bites. Store in fridge. Freezes well.
Notes
* Nutrition is based on 20 gluten free graham crackers. Depending on what you use as sizes vary, aim to use 1½ cups of crumbs.
Nutrition (per bar - makes 16) Calories: 135 Fat: 9.5g Sodium: 209mg Carbs: 11g Fiber: 1g Sugars: 4g Protein: 2g
Nutrition
Serving size: 1 bite Calories: 60 Fat: 4 g Carbs: 5 g Sugar: 2 g Sodium: 93 mg Fiber: .4 g Protein: 1 g