It was about a month ago, as I was standing in line at the grocery store check-out, that I saw exactly what I wanted to have for dessert on Christmas Day. There it was, staring out at me from the front cover of a cooking magazine, I hardly even know which one. A beautiful vanilla cheesecake, swirled through with what appeared to be cranberry, and with a gorgeous chocolate crumb crust. I didn’t buy the magazine, I didn’t even pick it up and thumb through it, I just took the image home in my head and started thinking about how I would recreate the dessert to be low carb and gluten free. Because dessert is important, particularly on special days like Christmas, and I was hardly going to skip it in deference to my blood sugar.
I also knew that I wanted to make the cheesecake in miniature. Growing up, dessert on Christmas always consisted of a platter of all the little cookies and cakes we’d been making, along with those given to us by friends and neighbours. As a child, I found it so exciting to be able to pick two or three sweets, my hand hovering over the plate as I tried to decide which one to taste first. It’s a tradition I have carried over into my own family and I love watching my children’s faces as they pick and choose. So my version of the magazine-cover dessert had to be small enough to share space with the caramel nut bars and gingerbread biscotti on the dessert platter.
The other requirement of my low-carb Christmas dessert was that it not be obvious that it was low carb. We were having friends over for Christmas dinner, and I wanted to make something that we could all enjoy. Cheesecake truly is one of the simplest desserts to make low carb and have it still be really, really good. The crust is the only part that takes much thought, but as I discovered with my Pumpkin Bourbon Cheesecake, nut-based crusts are as good as, or perhaps better than, graham cracker crusts. Beyond that, it simply requires substituting alternative sweeteners for the sugar, and which sweetener you use is really just a matter of taste.
The Results: After telling you how important dessert is on Christmas, I have to confess that I didn’t even try my little cheesecakes on the actual day. I was too full from all the other wonderful food we’d had. But my husband and our guests tried them and gave them the thumbs up, saying they never would have known it was low carb if I hadn’t told them. And when I tried one the next day, I was more than pleased. The combination of chocolate, vanilla and cranberry is lovely, without any one part dominating the whole. And they weren’t overly sweet and cloying, as some cheesecake can be, just nice and creamy.
Cranberry Swirl Cheesecakes with Chocolate Crust
Cranberry Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp granulated erythritol
10 drops stevia extract
Crust:
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp granulated erythritol or xylitol
2 tbsp butter, melted
Filling:
1 1/2 packages cream cheese (12 oz), softened
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1 large egg
1 egg white
2 tbsp whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
15 drops stevia extract
For the cranberry sauce, combine cranberries, water and erythritol in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until berries pop and mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Add stevia and mash berries with the back of a fork. Set aside and let cool.
For the crust, line a 12 muffin pan with paper liners and preheat oven to 350F. Mix almond meal, cocoa, sweetener and butter in a medium bowl until mixture begins to clump together. Divide evenly among prepared muffin tins and press down into bottom of paper liners to form a crust. Bake 8 minutes. Set aside and reduce oven temperature to 325F.
For the filling, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in erythritol, then egg and egg white, until each is incorporated. Beat in cream, vanilla and stevia until fully combined and mixture is smooth and pourable.
Divide filling among muffin tins, smoothing carefully with the back of a spoon. Dab one or two teaspoons of cranberry sauce over the top of each cheesecake and swirl with a toothpick to create a marbled effect. Bake until cheesecakes are puffed and set, 25-30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool completely, then transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours. Remove paper muffin liners before serving.
Makes 12. Each cheesecake has a total of 10g of carbs, but only 3.6g if you subtract erythritol.
Stephanie Fahey says
Hi Carolyn,
I don’t love stevia. Can I substitute with something else? I do much of my baking with Lakanto’s monkfruit or allulose. Would either of those work? I plan to try the swerve next based on your recommendation.
Carolyn says
You sure can. This is a very old recipe, I don’t really use stevia much anymore.
Robin says
Carolyn! What a fantastic cheesecake! I made them in a mini cupcake pan to take to Thanksgiving, and again for our own party yesterday. They are loved by all! Thank you!
Carolyn says
So glad they worked out well!
Sandy says
This is in the oven and the house smells amazing!! I made extra cranberry sauce to serve over low carb cornbread. Heaven! Thank you!
Mike says
These are really top-notch. I’ve probably made them at least ten or so times since I found this recipe. What’s great is that the recipe is also really open to experimentation. Here are some of my favorite variations that I’ve tried.
Replace cranberries with cherries, add 1/2 tsp of lime extract and zest of one lime = BAM! Cherry Limeade. You can also do Strawberry Lemonade by replacing strawberries, and adding lemon extract/zest in the above amounts (personally, my favorite). Blackberries and orange also works nicely. Replace cranberries with blueberries, add one packet of unsweetened matcha green tea = BAM! Blueberry green tea. Really, the possibilities are endless since this recipe is so versatile!
Doing the cranberry sauce as is or with other kind of berries makes a great topping to Carolyn’s Meyer Lemon Mug Cake as well!
I can’t recommend this recipe enough. Seriously.
Carolyn says
Have fun experimenting! That is the joy of recipes…they are open to your imagination!
Chryste says
Do you think I could make this as a regular cheesecake in a springform? It seems to me I could without a problem, but I have never made a cheesecake before. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Yes, you could. The baking time will change, so keep your eye on it. It will probably take a bit longer than these mini cakes.
Judith says
I love, love, love these!
RedZinnia says
These are so yummy!!! The chocolate crust contrasts beautifully with the creamy cheesecake and the tangy cranberries. I highly recommend them.
Catherine H. says
These were AH. MAY. ZING. The first time I made them, I forgot to sweeten the cranberry sauce and I still loved them. In fact, I loved them so much I made the recipe a second time immediately after finishing the first batch–I never do that because I want to work my way through as many of your recipes as possible. I added an extra 4 oz. cream cheese and remembered to sweeten the cranberries the second time around, and fell in love all over again. Perfect, perfect, perfect–the exact right proportions of everything, as you said–a delicious marriage of chocolate, creamy cheese, and tangy cranberry. Once again, my husband helped me eat them (even taking two to work with him, the dear selfish beast) and he is VERY hard to please with low-carb desserts.
sweetpeaskitchen.com says
I made these for my mom who is a diabetic for Thanksgiving. They were a huge hit! 🙂 No one even knew they were low carb. I substituted xylitol for the erythritol because the grocery store was out and they still turned out great! 🙂 Thanks so much Carolyn!
honeybeecooksjackfruit says
Those are so beautiful! I was wondering if I can use sugar instead of erythirol??
Danielle says
We actually made that cheesecake from Cooking Light and I was really disappointed — the texture was way off. Yours look amazing though!
marla says
Dang these cheesecakes look great! Pretty pictures too 🙂
Stella says
Yummerz! This combination of flavors sounds quite festive and delicious. And I know what your'e talking about with cheesecakes being overly sweet-what a way to ruin such a wonderful thing. Yours sounds perfecto!
She's Cookin' says
Hard to believe a dessert this delicious looking can be low carb! Love the splash of color from the cranberries and the mini-me portions, now the questions is, can you stop at one 😉
Rich says
You didn't even try them on Christmas Day?? Man, that looks like the only gift I'd have wanted – those really do look delicious.
Angie's Recipes says
These are some wonderfully cheesy treats!
Happy New Year!
Angie