Peppermint Cheesecake

You can't have Christmas without a little peppermint... or, at least I can't.  This Christmas Eve, I decided to spice up an amazing Skinnytaste "Skinny Blueberry Cheesecake" recipe with a few modifications.  A family member of mine cannot eat chocolate, hence the Ginger Snap crust, which turned out to be glorious.  I think an Oreo Cookie crust would have overwhelmed the cheesecake.

My advice, try it... and enjoy!

Yields roughly 16 servings

Nutrition Information:  146 calories, 18g carbs, 6g fat, 3g protein, 19mg Cholesterol, 135mg Sodium, 11g sugar, 0g fiber

 

Ingredients:

• 1 package Mi-Del Gingersnaps (50 cookies)
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 6-ounces non-fat Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup white granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon ‘Essence of Peppermint’
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon unbleached flour
• 7 mini candy canes (broken into tiny pieces)
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a food processor, grind entire back of Gingersnaps.
3. Melt butter and put it in food processor, mix until combined.
4. Pour cookie mixture into a spring-form pan and press with a fork to form the piecrust.  Bake crust for roughly 20 minutes or until fragrant.  Once baked, remove from oven and let cool completely before adding filling.
5. Meanwhile, gently beat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, ¼ cup sugar, Essence of Peppermint, Vanilla Extract, and lemon juice, egg whites, and flour, until just combined.  Pour mixture into cooled crust and bake for 30 minutes.  Center of the pie should look “uncooked” – but still remove from oven.
6. Once pie cooked, break up candy canes.
7. In a separate pot, add 2 tablespoons water with 1/3 of mashed candy canes.  Dissolve candy canes.  Pour candy cane mixture over cooked pie and swirl with a toothpick.  Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes over pie.
8. Place pie in refrigerator and enjoy!