Cream Cheese + Dark Chocolate + Berries

...equals something seriously good! We love having cheesecakes for birthdays and family celebrations, but even with our wonderful springform pan, it is still a little hard to slice the "cake" and serve it intact. (Doubly hard when we've topped the cheesecake with our favorite chocolate/berry combo.) Enter the mini cheesecake - with its shiny foil wrapping, serving is a cinch. Topped with a rich, dark chocolate ganache and a slightly tart, mixed berry sauce, these little cheesecakes end any meal with a perfectly delicious note. In this recipe, we have modified a favorite to include xylitol (a low-glycemic sweetner with numerous health benefits), but it does work just as well with normal white sugar!

Mini Cheesecakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache
and Berry Sauce

2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1/3 cup xylitol (or granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (or 2 teaspoons cornstarch)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese in mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and follow with remaining ingredients. Beat all ingredients for about five minutes.

Spoon mixture into foil-lined muffin tins, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Centers should be set, and a knife poked in the center should come out clean. Cool for at least 10 minutes before topping with ganache and berry sauce. Chill for at least one hour before serving, and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Makes 12 standard muffin-sized cheesecakes.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup cream or half and half
1/4 cup xylitol (or powdered sugar)

Melt ingredients together in a double-boiler. Stir carefully until the chocolate is completely melted and the sweetener is dissolved. Let cool slightly before mounding onto the cheesecakes.



Berry Sauce

1 cup frozen mixed berries (can substitute any berry, except strawberries)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 cup xylitol (or granulated sugar)
1/4 teaspoon glucomannan or 2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with a few tablespoons of water.

Warm berries and lemon juice together in saucepan. Add sweetener and stir until dissolved. Carefully blend in thickener while stirring with a wire whisk to prevent lumps. Heat through or until thickener is fully cooked, if using cornstarch. Cool to room temperature before spooning onto the mini cheesecakes.