If there’s one thing my family always requests I bring to gatherings, it’s cheesecake. In particular, this cheesecake. My whole family is always keeping low carb, and this is one dessert that always turns out great. It’s as close to real, honest-to-goodness NY style cheesecake as you’re going to get - for only 2g a slice.

Since it was Father’s Day, I decided to whip up a version especially for my Dad. He’s a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup fanatic, so I figured the combination of peanut butter and chocolate swirled into the cheesecake would be a great way to say, “Happy Father’s Day!”



If you’ve never tried making a cheesecake before, it’s actually a lot easier than it seems. I would recommend the non-water bath method if you are unsure, it will just take a bit longer.

This recipe has a few extra steps due to the extra flavors, but they’re still very doable even for a first-timer. It’s definitely worth the effort!

Low Carb Peanut Butter & Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Adapted from About.com Low-Carb Cheesecake



I used Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted Peanut Butter for this recipe, as it comes in at 4g net carbs per serving, which is the lowest I’ve found.

This cheesecake makes about 10 nicely sized slices, although you can serve it however you like. This comes in at 6g net carbs for each serving (at 10 servings total), half that if you used liquid sweetener (no extra carbs from the fillers). Cut into 16 slices for 3.8g/slice

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 1/2 lbs Cream Cheese, at room temperature

4 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/3 C Splenda (or equivalent in liquid sweetener)

¼ c Sour Cream

2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 tbsp Low Sugar Peanut Butter



Crust:

1 C Almond Meal

2 tbsp Splenda

2 tbsp Melted Butter

Preheat oven to 375.

To make the crust, mix Almond Meal, Splenda and melted butter until the almond meal is evenly moistened. Press into the bottom of a 9” springform pan, and bake 8-10 minutes, until fragrant and getting golden brown. Remove from oven.

Increase oven temp to 400 degrees, or 350 if you plan on using a water bath / bain marie.

To make the base cheesecake mix, beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until fluffy. One by one, beat in all other ingredients, except the cocoa powder and peanut butter. In between each new ingredient, scrape down the bowl and beaters. Once all the base ingredients have been incorporated, beat for 1 more minute.

Divide 1 1/3 c of the batter between 2 smaller bowls (2/3 c each). To one bowl, add the cocoa powder, and mix well. Add the peanut butter to the remaining bowl, and mix well.

Pour plain cheesecake batter into the springform pan, and spread evenly over the crust. Drop spoonfuls of the peanut butter and chocolate batters over the top, distributing them evenly. Using a knife or an offset spatula, swirl the toppings slightly together, to marble them.

If you’re not using a water bath / bain-marie, put the cheesecake in the oven at 400 degrees, and turn the temperature down to 200 degrees and bake 60-90 minutes until set, firm to the touch but slightly soft or jiggly in the middle.

For the bain-marie, wrap the bottom of the springform pan with foil, and place in a baking sheet with high sides. Fill with boiling water, careful that the water doesn’t get inside the foil. Bake at 350 for 60-90 minutes until set, firm to the touch but slightly soft or jiggly in the middle.

Let cool completely, and chill. When ready to serve, remove from springform pan, cut with a clean, dry knife and serve!