It all started with a sample of Cheesecake at Wegmans. The innocent but sugar-evil employee was passing out a piece of raspberry cheesecake. Delicious. Husband and I were in a hurry though to get to the in-laws so we scurried away as I kept on looking back.
Fast forward 2 weeks and we picked up a slice of blueberry cheesecake (and chocolate mousse cake) from a cute bakery in Boston. Delicious. It was my husband’s way of treating me for finally going to the Doctor’s after 12 years. I did my best to keep away but marrying a medical student, I caved in to this bribe.
Fast forward to 3 days later and I’m craving cheesecake again but my waistline is begging me to stop.
Fast forward to 3 days later and I’m craving cheesecake again but my waistline is begging me to stop.
As I sit in the kitchen, a light bulb goes off (in my head). I love Greek Yogurt. Fage Greek Yogurt. It’s creamy, pairs well with any fruit, jam or peanut butter and feels non-guilty. It’s also the perfect substitute for many things creamy!
What next? I go on the search for a greek yogurt cheesecake recipe!
It is delicious and a great healthy alternative to cheesecake. The “cheese”cake is much more tangy than the average cheesecake because of the yogurt but it goes awesomely well with the lemon. The texture reminds me exactly of a cheesecake – soft but with some bounce. I tried this with blueberry sauce (lemon + blueberry = perfect combo) and with some Maple granola I made earlier in the day to add some crunch. The variations seem endless. I’ll be trying another variation of this in the future soon. Yum.
| Prep Time | 30 min |
| Servings |
12 bars
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Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon (25 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 medium sized lemon averages about 1 tablespoon of zest
- 6 tablespoon (85 g) cold butter cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon milk
Cheesecake
- 3 cups (681 g) Greek Yogurt I used half full fat and half 2% - it's been noted that full fat is preferred
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 2 large eggs
- 1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
Cheesecake
|
|
Instructions
Make the Shortbread Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a bowl that will withstand a mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Swift away.
- Use a butter cutter (or in my case, cut butter into cubes) and add into flour mixture. Mix on low to medium speed for 2-3 minutes until butter pieces are the size of peas.
- Add the milk (be careful of splash!). Mix on low speed. The dough will still be crumbly and feel dry and look wrong at first but after 2-3 minutes the crumbs should come together if you fist it. It will still look crumbly but will start to come together when you pat it down. Don't worry!
- Prepare pan - nonstick spray or parchment paper. (I was too lazy for parchment and used nonstick spray - when the filling is done the edges begin to pull away from the pan and the crust will come out easily with nonstick spray)
- Transfer dough to pan and firmly press down the dough into the bottom of the pan. Dough should hold together now.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until just slightly golden.
Make the Cheesecake Filling
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F
- In a bowl mix together Greek yogurt, sugar and cornstarch. Mix away until well combined!
- Add eggs. Mix
- Add lemon zest and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the baked crust evenly. Bake about 35-40 minutes until cheesecake is set. (What does that mean? Jiggle the pan. It should be ever so slightly still slightly moving in the center of the pan when you jiggle. It will continue to cook when you pull out of the oven. Don't make the mistake of over baking - although it will still taste delicious. The edges will begin to pull away from the pan when ready. The sides will brown if overbaked - though still delicious not as pretty!)
- Cool on wire rack until room temperature (1-2 hours). Chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Patience is key. Though, I tried a small piece after 1 hour because I had just finished dinner.. Twas good!
- For normal sizes, slice into 12 bars. Or 6 gigantic bars or 24 mini bars. (I halved the recipe and baked in a 8x4 pan for 6 bars. Yums!)
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