Holiday treats can be difficult to resist. Don’t get me wrong, I am an advocate of an occasional planned indulgence. The holidays are a time when favorite family recipes make it worth the splurge or two. But between family, work, and friends, the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s meals add up. You can easily get derailed if you splurge at every one. Especially if you’re like me, and sweets are a weakness. So, I like to bring my own healthier options when I go to a gathering where I know the goodies will abound. That way, I don’t feel deprived.

Not only are these little cheesecakes better for you than the traditional option, they are the perfect size for practicing portion control. They taste a lot like the recipe I know from my childhood for peanut butter pie, but are much better nutritionally. They are low fat, high protein, and low carb, making them suitable for diabetics. I used store-bought cookies for the crust to help save time, but feel free to sub in your go to pie crust, or another cookie if you like. You could even skip the crust altogether. I’ve made them that way as well, and they turned out just as beautifully. You could also dress them up with a single chocolate chip on top too!

Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

96g PB2 powder
12 oz Fage 0% Greek yogurt
4 oz fat free cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz Neufchatel (1/3 less fat)cream cheese, at room temperature
5 cups Splenda for baking (or equal granular sugar substitute of choice)
3 TBSP (46g) egg whites (I use the carton kind)
18 Chocolate wafer cookies (I used these)

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare muffin pans by placing aluminum liners lightly sprayed with cooking spray in 18 of the cups.

Place one cookie at the bottom of each.

In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, yogurt, and egg whites. Add the Splenda and PB2 a little at a time, and continue mixing until smooth and evenly incorporated.

Pour about 1.5 oz in each cup.

Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack in the muffin pans for 20-30 minutes.

Transfer from the pans to a closed container and place in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours, or overnight.

Reader Questions:

What’s are the holiday treats you look forward to the most?

|Kaci