I used a combination of Splenda, brown sugar, and agave nectar in these cheesecakes to get a low-sugar result with a flavor I thought was worthy of a Thanksgiving dessert, but I'm guessing you could adapt this recipe to use your personal sweetener of choice, or even use all sugar if you don't care about having a low-sugar option. The recipe does have one tablespoon of flour, and I found myself wondering how it would turn out if you omit the flour, making it a gluten-free dessert. If people try other versions I'd love to hear in the comments about how they turn out.
(This is the last Thanksgiving dinner recipe I'll be adding to the 2010 Round-up of Low Glycemic Holiday Recipe Ideas for a South Beach Friendly Thanksgiving and to the complete list of South Beach Diet friendly Thanksgiving recipes from the last 5 years. I will be adding at least one recipe for turkey soup made with leftover turkey, so check back for that.)
You'll need to have some foil baking cups to make these mini-cheesecakes. Start by turning on the oven to 350F/180C and spraying the foil cups well with non-stick spray.
Use a mini-mixer to beat together softened cream cheese, Splenda, brown sugar, and agave nectar. (I tried one version with a stand mixer and thought the mini-mixer was easier.)
Then beat in eggs, one at a time, using a relatively low speed. Next, add the canned pumpkin puree, yogurt or sour cream, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice, and pinch of salt and mix until combined.
Fill the foil baking cups about 2/3 full. (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup and divided the batter between the 12 cups, putting slightly over 1/4 cup in each.)
Bake 40-45 minutes, or until cheesecakes look set and feels firm on the top. The cheesecakes will puff up a little and then sink down slightly when cooled, like the ones in this photo. Let cool and then chill at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, and enjoy! (Choose the lowest-sugar brand of whipped cream you can find for the South Beach Diet, but if you're making these for a holiday meal I would definitely add the whipped cream which makes this taste like pumpkin pie.
Low-Sugar Spiced Pumpkin Mini-Cheesecakes(Makes 12 cupcake sized mini-cheesecakes; recipe adapted by Kalyn from several sources, but mostly from Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake from Bon Appetit, November 2005.)
12 oz. (1 1/2 pkg.) low-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup Splenda
1/4 cup brown sugar (or use another 1/4 cup Splenda for a lower-sugar version)
2 T agave nectar (I used amber agave, but light would work)
2 eggs
7/8 cup canned pumpkin puree (1/2 can or 7.5 oz.)
2 T plain fat-free Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
1 T flour (I used white whole wheat flour, but regular white flour will work)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (contains cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace, and cloves)
pinch salt
whipped cream for serving if desired (I used a low-fat whipped-cream-in-a-can product that had 1 gram of fat, 1 gram of carbs, and less than 1 gram of sugar per serving)
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Put 12 foil baking cups into muffin tin and spray each baking cup well with non-stick spray.
Use a small hand mixer to cream together the softened cream cheese, Splenda, brown sugar, and agave nectar. Add eggs, one at a time, using a relatively low speed to blend the eggs into the mixture. (Don't beat the mixture at high speed after eggs have been added.)
Add canned pumpkin, yogurt or sour cream, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and gently combine with mixer. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to divide the batter among the 12 foil baking cups (I used slightly over 1/4 cup of batter in each foil cup.)
Bake 40-45 minutes, or until the cheesecakes look set and feel barely firm on top. (Don't be alarmed when they puff up a little and then sink down slightly as they cool.) Let cool 30 minutes, then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Good served with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top.)
Use a small hand mixer to cream together the softened cream cheese, Splenda, brown sugar, and agave nectar. Add eggs, one at a time, using a relatively low speed to blend the eggs into the mixture. (Don't beat the mixture at high speed after eggs have been added.)
Add canned pumpkin, yogurt or sour cream, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and gently combine with mixer. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to divide the batter among the 12 foil baking cups (I used slightly over 1/4 cup of batter in each foil cup.)
Bake 40-45 minutes, or until the cheesecakes look set and feel barely firm on top. (Don't be alarmed when they puff up a little and then sink down slightly as they cool.) Let cool 30 minutes, then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Good served with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top.)
I find that using a combination of Splenda and sugar gives the best flavor in low-sugar baked goods, but of course this recipe would be even more South Beach Diet friendly and low-glycemic if you made it with all Splenda. However, even with the small amount of sugar and agave nectar I'm using, it's still a pretty low-sugar option for a holiday treat, especially if you only have one mini-cheesecake. Even with all Splenda, these cheesecakes couldn't be approved for phase 1 due to the pumpkin, but I'd consider them to be okay for a "once-in-a-while-treat" for phase 2 or 3.
More Pumpkin Cheesecake Ideas You Might Like:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Low-Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie from Kalyn's Kitchen
Sugar-Free Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake from Kalyn's Kitchen
Reduced Sugar Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake from Kalyn's Kitchen
Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
Double-Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes from Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes from Pinch My Salt
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)
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