Coconut Chocolate Chip Protein Cheesecake




I know cheesecakes are typically served chilled right out of the fridge. I will let you know what I recommend :) a little back story - there is a restaurant in Birmingham, AL, which is where I am from, that serves their homemade cheesecake warm. It is life changing. It is my favorite cheesecake of all time! So this cheesecake was consumed early (before it cooled) due to the fact that I have no patience when it comes to sweets. I instantly thought of that cheesecake from that restaurant in Birmingham. My recommendation? Let it cool in the pan for about an hour after baking then eat it before you put it in the fridge. I promise you will LOVE it! Enjoy! 

Ingredients

Crust
¼ cup almond meal flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon granulated baking stevia (or xylitol)
½ tablespoon coconut oil, melted

Cheesecake
1/3 cup granulated baking stevia (or sweetener of choice)
½ cup low fat plain cream cheese, softened
1 whole egg
¼ cup sugar-free chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and spray a mini spring form pan (4.5 inches) with cooking spray.

2. Stir together all crust ingredients then press/mold the mixture onto the bottom of the spring form pan. Bake the crust for 5 minutes.

3. Add cream cheese to a mixing bowl and, using a handheld mixer, beat cream cheese until creamy. Whisk in the egg and coconut milk until smooth.

4. Add the remainder of the cheesecake ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix together until well combined.

5. Pour cheesecake batter into the spring form pan and bake in the oven for 32-36 minutes, or until the cheesecake does not have a giggle when moved.

6. Let the cheesecake cool for about 1 hour then remove from the pan. Slice into 6 pieces and enjoy!

Makes 6 servings
1 serving is 1 slice

Macros for 1 serving
154 calories, 8.6g protein, 4.2g carbs, 11.5g fat, 0.5g sugar, 1.5g fiber

Chewy Peanut Butter Protein Cookies




I have tried a lot of peanut butter brands. My absolute favorite is Vitacost's all natural peanut butter. It is delicious and free of that added crap that some peanut butters contain. The star ingredient of these cookies is that peanut butter. They are chewy, loaded with peanut butter flavor, and, as always, have an added boost of protein. Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or oat flour)
¼ cup Vitacost xylitol (or granulated sweetener of choice)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 egg white
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup vanilla almond milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with foil coated with non-stick spray.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg white, extract, peanut butter, and almond milk until smooth.

3. Add the remainder of ingredients to the bowl and stir. The dough will be thick so use your hands at the end to knead it all together until a large ball of dough is formed.

4. Take about 1½ tablespoons of cookie dough in your hands and roll into a ball. Place each cookie ball on the sheet pan, making 16 cookies total.

5. Using a fork, press down each cookie to make a crisscross pattern.

6.  Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 16 servings
1 serving is 1 cookie

Macros for 1 serving

72 calories, 3.4g protein, 9.2g carbs, 3.2g fat, 1g sugar, 1.2g fiber


Coconut Cream Chocolate Chip Protein Cake Bites




Light and fluffy coconut cream chocolate chip cake bites! You won't believe that each one only has 56 calories per cake bite. A little side note - - coconut flour is a bit tricky to bake with because it absorbs so much moisture from the batter. If you don't have coconut flour and you decide to use a flour substitute, make sure to add a bit more of the substitute than the amount of coconut flour the recipe calls for. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2/3 cup oat flour (or whole wheat flour)
¼ cup coconut sugar (or sweetener of choice)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 egg whites
½ cup sugar free chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with foil coated with nonstick spray.

2. Whisk together coconut milk and egg whites in a mixing bowl.

3. To the bowl, add the remainder of ingredients, except chocolate chips, and stir until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.  

4. Using a very small ice cream scooper, drop cookie dough balls onto the sheet pan. Repeat until 26 cake bites are made.

5. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Makes 26 servings
1 serving is 1 cake bite

Macros for 1 serving
56 calories, 3.1g protein, 5.7g carbs, 2.1g fat, 1.9g sugar, 1.3g fiber

Nicolette’s Tips
* Adjust the sweetener of choice to reach desired sweetness. I tend to enjoy my treats on the less sweet side so feel free to add more as needed.
* If you do not have coconut flour, add an additional 1/3 cup oat flour as a substitute for ¼ cup coconut flour. Adjust the macronutrients as necessary.