No Sugar Added Cheesecake Parfait
- Serves: 4 – 6
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 10 minutes
When I found out I was diabetic, one of the biggest concerns I had was the loss of desserts and sweets in my diet. While I hadn’t had that big of a sweet tooth to begin with the forbidden fruit is always the sweetest as they say. To be honest, most of the artificial sweeteners you come across in cooking and with making sweets up until recently were either too sweet or not suited for cooking, or had a definitive unpleasant aftertaste. Recently, nutritionists and food makers have developed some wonderful sweetener products such as Splenda that while not shown to raise blood sugars, has a comparable sweetness to sugar without the bitter saccharine aftertaste. This recipe is a no sugar added variation on a no bake cheesecake dessert that while having no sugar added to it still has a wonderful texture and sweetness to it. With around 6 grams of sugars per serving, it also is a wise and healthy choice for those on a sugar restricted/diabetic diet.
Crust layer:
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | cup | graham cracker crumbs (about 12 crackers) |
| 1/4 | cup | butter, melted |
| 1/2 | teaspoon | Splenda Sweetener |
Cheese layer:
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | oz | package Cream cheese, softened |
| 3/4 | cup | plain unsweetened yogurt |
| 1/2 | tablespoon | Lemon juice |
| 2 | tablespoon | Splenda sweetener |
| 1/2 | teaspoon | vanilla |
| 1 | package Knox Unflavored gelatin softened in ¼ cup very hot water |
Cherry Topping:
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | oz | frozen black cherries |
| 1 | teaspoon | lemon juice |
| 1 | tablespoon | Splenda sweetener |
| 1/4 | cup | Merlot wine |
| 1/4 | teaspoon | almond extract or amaretto (optional) |
| 2 | tablespoon | cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup merlot and water |
To prepare:
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter and splenda in a mixing bowl until well combined, pour into a deep bowl and pat down to firm and set aside. Blend the cream cheese, lemon juice, yogurt, sweetener, and vanilla together until smooth. Add in the dissolved gelatin and mix well. Pour over graham cracker crust and set in refrigerator 1-2 hours to set. For the topping mix the cherries, lemon juice, almond extract and sweetener in a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat stirring frequently. Add the merlot and continue cooking 5 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and let come to a boil to thicken. Set aside to cool and spoon over the top of the cheesecake parfait and enjoy
