I am beginning to believe that almost anything is possible with low carb ingredients. I suppose I shouldn’t say that until I have achieved the perfect yeast sandwich bread. But the truth is that I haven’t even tried as my focus has been elsewhere. I’ve been working on perfecting a few other items, things that I thought were lost to me for good after discovering my pre-diabetes. One of those things that captured my attention is low carb white chocolate and white chocolate flavoured desserts. I do love my dark, dark, dark chocolate, but sometimes that pale confection, which really doesn’t deserve the name chocolate at all, is what I crave. And since white chocolate is really just cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla (and other fillers and stabilizers, for most commercial versions), I’ve learned you can skip the middle man. If you are after white chocolate flavour in a sugar-free dessert, you don’t necessarily have to go all the way and make low carb white chocolate first. You can get the flavour simply by adding the ingredients separately into the mix.
This white chocolate cheesecake recipe also uses another of the things I’ve been trying to perfect; sugar-free caramel sauce. This one has been tricky, and I don’t think I am perfectly there yet, but I am close. The problem with caramel sauce made with erythritol or xylitol is that neither of these sweeteners likes to stay in solution after being melted and caramelized, so they harden as they cool. They taste like the real thing, but they don’t stay soft and gooey. My preference would be to use erythritol because of it’s zero net carb effect on my blood glucose, but xylitol does maintain a softness for longer when in solution. So I’ve been playing around with it and I tried a little xanthan gum in there, as xanthan inhibits crystallization. But just adding xanthan gum can make the caramel sauce become really thick and gloppy, so a little more liquid is required to make it behave like true caramel.
I am not sure I have the ratio exactly to my liking just yet, but I used my xylitol-based caramel sauce to fill these white chocolate cheesecakes and was mightily pleased with the results. I dreamed up this recipe while munching on a handful of macadamias I’d bought from Trader Joe’s. I just started imagining macadamias in a rich caramel sauce, drizzled over some sort of cake. And what goes better with macadamia nuts than white chocolate? I’d love to tell you that the way my individual white chocolate cheesecakes rose and then fell, creating a little well in the center, was by design. The truth is that this unintended result dismayed me at first, but then I realized that it created the perfect way to hold the nuts and caramel! And I was so delighted to see that my caramel stayed soft and gooey, even after chilling in the refrigerator for several hours. Some re-crystallization did occur eventually from the xylitol, giving it a touch of grittiness, but it’s still a big step ahead from other low carb caramels I’ve made thus far. And I will continue to work on it!
White Chocolate Macadamia Cheesecake Cups – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Ingredients
Cheesecake Cups:
- 10 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener or granulated erythritol
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 oz cocoa butter melted
Caramel Macadamia Filling:
- ½ cup xylitol
- 3 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoon molasses or honey
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon additional water
- ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ cup macadamia nuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
- For the cheesecake cups, preheat oven to 300F and place 8 paper liners into a muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, then beat in eggs, Swerve, vanilla extract and melted cocoa butter until well combined.
- Divide mixture among prepared muffin cups and bake 30 minutes, until puffed and center just barely jiggles.
- Remove from oven and let cool (they will sink down to create a well in the center as they cool). Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
- For the filling, combine xylitol, water and molasses or honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir continuously until xylitol is completely dissolved, then stop stirring and let mixture come to a slow boil. Boil without stirring for until dark amber, about 7 minutes (mixture will smoke somewhat...don't worry!).
- Remove from heat and add butter, cream and vanilla. Mixture will bubble vigorously.
- Let cool for half an hour, then add additional water and the xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to avoid clumps (or use an immersion blender to really combine well without clumps).
- Let mixture continue to cool.
- Divide macadamia nuts among chilled cheesecake cups, then fill with caramel sauce.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Judith says
Can we use your updated caramel sauce for this recipe?
Carolyn says
Yes indeed!
Cheryl P says
This looks so good! I’m not sure if you’re still answering comments here, but I’ll take a chance. 🙂
I’m thinking about making these as part of a Christmas dessert only in a flat “bar” using your shortbread crust, with this filling, and maybe the caramel swirled through. I’m wanting to make dessert sized portions, not cookie bar sizes. Do you think I’d need to increase the amount of the filling for an 8×8 or 9×9 pan?
Carolyn says
I do think if you want a more sizeable dessert, you need more filling. I would probably double it. But I’d only increase the eggs to 3, so the filling doesn’t “fall” as much (that worked really well for these cups to hold the caramel and nuts, but for bars, you want it more flat across the top).
Cheryl P says
Excellent! And thank you so much for your quick reply! 🙂 I don’t comment much – but I love your recipes. 🙂 And hopping to get some snowballs made today! Happy Christmas to you and your family! 🙂
Carolyn says
Thanks, Cheryl!
Haley says
When you say whipping cream; do you mean heavy cream?
Carolyn says
Yes, you can really use them interchangeably here. It’s often called Heavy Whipping Cream here.
Brooke says
Hi there! This looks great!! If I were wanting to make SF white chocolate for white chocolate covered strawberries, how would I go about that? Any suggestions? I can never ever find SF white chocolate in stores!! Thank you!
Carolyn says
I am not really sure, to be honest. It’s very thin and a tad gritty because it’s hard to get the erythritol to combine well into the cacao butter. It still needs some experimentation, but you’re welcome to try and and see if you can come up with anything.
Faye says
This is a very exotic cheesecake recipe!
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
Perfect portion control!!
Carolyn says
Good point!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
great looking and sounding!
Diane {Created by Diane} says
oh these looks yummy!
Jean B. says
That is BRILLIANT! I have been pondering white chocolate for a while, and I love your observation about using the components and not making the chocolate. Also, the way you have done the cheese part has me thinking of various other fillings. Hmmm. Yesterday, I thought you had ended my indecision about what to bake. Now you have put me right back into that state of indecision. But… keep up the good, no, GREAT, work.
Ivonne Carlo says
YUM YUM YUM YUM I’m so making this in the weekend after my fat fast. Did I say YUM!? 😛
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen says
Smart! I tried making a caramel sauce once out of xylitol for caramel rolls, but they hardened up too much. I think it was the lack of cream, if I remember correctly. I still ate them, but they probably weren’t fit for company!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Sweet-sweet, Victory! Congrats, Carolyn! If you are like me, you feel like a mad scientist fixated on perfecting recipes to your liking when converting to low-carb. I, too, have been experimenting with cocoa butter (ever since I found an earlier recipe to make white chocolate at home and the ingredients are simple and spelled out on packaging). You are right…to use in baking, you just have to incorporate the ingredients found in white chocolate (minus the lecithin). Do give inulin a whirl. I use it in my own sugar-free natural sweetener blend. What a terrific recipe…BRAVO!
Jennifer Eloff says
Such gorgeous photos! I think you will perfect your caramel sauce soon. It’s a tricky one for sure.
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
I am SO glad that my son isn’t allergic to tree nuts (only peanuts) because while I did give up my beloved peanut butter I don’t think I could give up every nut. Mmmmmmm Macadamias!!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Oh my gosh I love white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, so to imagine them in cheesecake form is awesome.
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
That caramel in the middle looks absolutely divine! Cheesecake is always so filling and decadent, but these are perfect little portions.
Margaret says
Carolyn have you considered trying something like Sweet Perfection in your caramel sauces? Inulin won’t crystallize as it is all fibre. It’s used to sweeten the chocoperfection bars. The cost is certainly an issue but I keep some on hand and use it sparingly to add extra fibre to some things I make. I gave up on caramel years ago but should get back to it. There are so many more options now when it comes to sweeteners.
Andrea@simplylivinghealthy.org says
Looks awesome Carolyn! I’ve never been a huge fan of white chocolate as like you said it’s not really chocolate (at least not store bought stuff)…but I have been warming up to it a bit more as I’ve been making it myself with cocoa butter and other “real” ingredients. I love the idea of just using the ingredients to flavor as white chocolate rather than make the chocolate itself! Again, as I’ve said many times…you are a culinary genius! Thanks for all you do!
Rachel says
What are the nutritional stats on this recipe?
Carolyn says
Whoops, I can’t believe I forgot those. Bear with me, I will post them as soon as I can!
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
I think I’ve mentioned how I feel about cheesecake. I love it in every form I can get… and this looks decadent!