Foodie Corner
Nancy Fox
Apple Pie and Cheesecake are certainly not the first things someone would think of when they are thinking “Skinny.” But Nancy Fox (Skinny Kitchen) has worked her magic on this recipe to make it so! As Nancy says, “The taste is a spectacular confluence of apple pie and rich cheesecake.” And who can argue with that? And here’s some even more thrilling news from Nancy: “The closest fat version to compare is Cheesecake Factory’s Dutch Apple Carmel Streusel soaring at 871 calories and 26 grams of fat. Happily my Skinny Apple Pie Topped Cheesecake is only 274 calories, 9 grams of fat and 8Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS.”
Skinny Kitchen Apple Pie Topped Cheesecake
Ingredients for Crust:
1¼c. graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light
½ tsp. cinnamon
Ingredients for Filling:
2 (8oz) packages reduced-fat cream cheese (Nancy uses Philadelphia 25% less fat), at room temperature
2 egg whites
1 large egg (Nancy uses Eggland’s Best eggs)
1c. sugar
½ c. reduced-fat sour cream
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon juice
Ingredients for Topping:
1 (21 oz) can Comstock apple pie filling
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
1. To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and cinnamon. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
3. To make filling: Using an electric mixer, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy and smooth. Slowly mix in the egg whites, egg, and sugar until smooth. Stir in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Pour the mixture over the crust and spread evenly.
4. Bake for 35- 40 minutes or until the center is set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
5. To make topping: After the cheesecake has been refrigerated, in a small bowl, using a rubber spatula, combine the apple pie filling and cinnamon. Mix to blend. Spread over the top of the cheesecake. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Makes 12 servings (each serving 1 slice, 1/12 of recipe)
Baking Tips
Always beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy (that’s why is MUST be softened before using)before adding all of the other ingredients. Once the cheese is fluffy, slowly add the rest of the ingredients. If you beat too much air into the batter the cheesecake can fall during baking
Cheesecake needs even heat in order to rise properly. We recommend not to open the oven to peek for the first 30 minutes. Drafts can cause the cheesecake to crack. But don’t worry if it does crack because we cover the top with the apple pie topping.
Storage Tip
Keep covered in the refrigerator for several days. This cheesecake also freezes great. Cut into single servings, wrap and freeze. When ready to unfreeze, unwrap and defrost on top of the counter.