Healthier Cheesecake

Mmm, cheesecake.  Possibly the most infamous dessert ever, known for busting diets (and pants seams),  tipping the scales, heart attacks, and the like.  Cheesecake is the villain, and we know it. Yet, something continually draws us in - it's the bad boy we know we should stay away from even
as we're digging into a slice of turtle or pumpkin or New York style. Not just once. Maybe not just once a day.

Fortunately, there's a hero around with an almost guilt-free solution to our problem: blogger Angela Gallardo from Bare Root. This is almost word-for-word her recipe, with a few slight variations I've made. Don't worry; this treat has the whole package - it doesn't sacrifice any flavor. It's super easy if you have a food processor and there's no baking involved (our oven is lukewarm on a good day, so no-bakes have been my thing lately)! It's the perfect summer treat, as proven by the fact that my family and I couldn't wait for the pictures before digging in. Intrigued yet? Good! You can whip one up yourself right now.

Brownies in 5

Chocolate is, in my opinion, one of the most delicious - and most workable - ingredients ever. I recently discovered exactly how workable it is as I was trying to concoct a recipe that was gluten-free and delicious for my wheat-intolerant dad and brother. This recipe is what I came up with! It's a variation on a flourless chocolate recipe, but without the cocoa powder these brownies are a little more fudgy while still having a great chocolate flavor!


Ingredients
2 cups     chocolate chips
3/4 cup   sugar
1 tsp       baking soda
1 tsp       salt
3            eggs


Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. 


Melt chocolate by placing it in a heatproof bowl resting on the rim of a small pan of simmering water. The steam from the water will rise and heat and melt the chocolate.


When chocolate is melted, beat together with dry ingredients until combined. Add eggs a little at a time until batter is smooth. 


Pour batter into pan and bake for 25-35 minutes. Let cool for at least minutes before eating.


Variations
Extra chocolate: Add 3/4 cup of unmelted chocolate chips to batter.


Peanut butter cup: Replace 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with 3/4 cup peanut butter. 


Spicy: And 2 tsp of chili powder.