Easy Chocolaty Coffee Cheesecake

Do you love cheesecake but hate eating all the calories?  Do you want to make it at home and think that you have to be a trained pastry chef in order to do it?  Fear not!  I have made this quite simple (Really Simple if you have a Bullet Express) Chocolaty Coffee Cheesecake recipe for you!  (And me... ;) )  Don't worry if you don't have a spring-form pan.  I don't, so I made due with what I had.  You could also do this in a spring-form pan though.

Here's my recipe:

Crust:

 1.25 c. Crushed Graham Crackers

~ 2 T. Margarine (I use the generic of Smart Balance Light with Omega 3s)

~1/4 c. Sugar

1. Mix these ingredients together either in a food processor or the Bullet Express with Meal Mixer like I did.

2. Put in bottom of pan you are using and press down firmly with your fingers. Then grab a glass and make sure it is evenly pressed down around the whole bottom of the pan. (You can use a Spring-form pan, or use something you have. I used this small 8 or 9" pan with a bottom that pops out.)

Cheesecake Filling:

1 lb. Cream Cheese ( I use the kind in the pic above--Fat Free that is the store brand.  Cheaper and also fat free, which is awesome! :)

3 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 little packet of Starbucks Via (any variety you like, or you could use about 1 T. of other instant coffee.)

2.5 T. Cocoa (I use Hershey's.)

1/2 c. Sugar

See instructions below:

1.  In your Bullet Express (or Food Processor) using the meal mixer combine the cream cheese and eggs.  Mix on low until blended or about 20 seconds.

2.  Next add the rest of the ingredients (vanilla, cocoa, coffee, and sugar) and mix until blended again.

3.  Pour the chocolatly mixture into the pan with the crust in the bottom.

4.  Bake at 400 degree for 25 minutes and then at 350 degrees for another 20 minutes.  (It is completely normal for the cheese mixture to poof up like this during baking.  It will go back down once it cools too.)

5.  Turn the oven off and open the door.  Let the cake stay in there for about 30minutes while it starts to cool.  Then take it out and cut around the sides of the pan.

6.  Proceed to carefully take the cheese cake out of the pan and place on plate.  It should look something like this above.

Drizzle some chocolate on top for a finishing touch if you would like and bon appetit'!  Enjoy!  :)

I know mine didn't turn out perfectly...I probably got it out of the pan a little early...but it will taste delicious so that's good enough for me!  Plus it's practically fat free and was super easy to make!  :)  Have fun in your kitchen!

Alright, I had to eat a piece.  I liked it too...I knew I would.  I used a graham crust -- instead of oreo -- so it wouldn't be too rich.  I also like that the filling isn't inches and inches thick, it's all around an inch thick.  The texture isn't quite the normal creamy cheesecake style, but that's what we get for eliminating the fat almost completely!  :)  I think you'll enjoy it too...