Desserts

CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES
I love cheesecake!! So, of course my first post on this blog had to be Cheesecake!  Wonderful, fluffy goodness all wrapped up in a delicious dessert!  Who wouldn't love it?!  The only problem with Cheesecake is all the fat and calories in it!  Such a sinful dessert indeed!

So, my BFF Cara and I took the challenge to see how low fat we could make it!  But, first things first.  I have to give credit where credit is due. You can find the original recipe we tried here:
http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/04/cheesecake-cupcakes/

The original recipe was so delicious we knew that with such a great starting point, we just might have a shot at this whole low fat cheesecake idea.  As you know, the main ingredient in cheesecake is cream cheese.  But, fat free cream cheese is pretty disgusting.  So, we decided not to just jump right in with that exchange.  This recipe needed to be made with low fat ingredients first.  If that tasted good, then we knew we could try more fat free ingredients.

All values below are estimates using the My Fitness Pal app.

In order to understand the true fat & calories lost, I'll show you the Nutritional Values of all 3 Recipes.

The Original Recipe
(Per Cupcake)

Calories	183
Total Fat	13g
Saturated Fat	8g
Sodium	161mg
Fiber	0.25g
Sugar	7g
Protein	3g

The Swap - Trial #1 (This recipe was really good and there was hardly a difference between this one and the original.  We were both extremely surprised and excited.  Even the kids loved it!)

Graham Crackers for Low Fat Graham Crackers
Butter for Oikos Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
Cream Cheese for 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese
Eggs for Egg Whites
Sour Cream for Fat Free Sour Cream
Heavy Cream for Fat Free Half & Half

Swapped Recipe #1
(Per Cupcake)

Calories	122
Total Fat	6g
Saturated Fat	3g
Sodium	182mg
Fiber	0.50g
Sugar	8g
Protein	3g

We didn't see a huge drop in calories.  But, we did see big drops in Total Fat & Saturated Fat.  The sodium went up.  But, unless you have high blood pressure.  This isn't a big concern.  So, could we go further?  This recipe taste was almost identical to the original.  Could we go even further and still maintain that fabulous taste?

The Swap - Trial #2 (This recipe was not as good as the first or second.  It wasn't bad.  It was good enough to eat.  We certainly didn't throw any away.  If you are really trying to cut the fat it'll do for a good Cheesecake Fix!)

Graham Crackers for Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers (Placed whole into the bottom of the cupcake liners)
Butter for Not Needed
Cream Cheese for Fat Free Cream Cheese
Sugar for Equal
Eggs for Egg Whites
Sour Cream for Fat Free Sour Cream
Heavy Cream for Fat Free Half & Half

Swapped Recipe #2
(Per Cupcake)

Calories	51
Total Fat	0.25g
Saturated Fat	0g
Sodium	212mg
Fiber	0g
Sugar	3g
Protein	4g

The numbers on Swapped Recipe #2 are really amazing!  We were able to cut the Fat & Calories.  The sodium went up.  But, not enough to concern me.  Of course, I'm not a doctor or nutritionist.  But, I think most foods have more sodium than this.  So, I'll overlook that little increase.  Plus, the taste was good enough that I think if I made it a couple of times, I would get used to the minor difference.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!  Betcha won't miss that fat!