Recipe by Celeste Hackel

Healthier Turtle Cheesecake

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Dairy Dairy
Easy Easy
8 Servings
Allergens

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 and 1/2 cups ground pecans

  • 1/4 cup salted butter, melted

  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar

Filling

  • 2 cups low fat (or whole) greek yogurt, at room temperature

  • 2 cups regular cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 4 eggs, at room temperature

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar

Caramel Glaze

Chocolate Drizzle

  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted, plus more for garnish

  • 1 teaspoon Tuscanini Olive Oil or avocado oil

Directions

Prepare the Crust

1.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. (I used convection mode). Spray bottom and sides of a nine inch springform pan.

2.

Combine ingredients and press down evenly on the bottom and a little bit up the sides of the pan.

3.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the Filling

1.

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix with a paddle attachment, just until combined. A hand mixer works great too, just avoid overmixing.

2.

Pour filling over the crust and place the cake pan on a baking sheet before placing in the oven. Pro tip: place another baking dish filled with water anywhere in the oven to help create steam so your cheesecake doesn’t crack.

3.

Bake for 40 minutes and remove from the oven to cool completely. Place in the refrigerator to set for three hours or overnight.

4.

Before adding the glaze, remove the cake from the pan by releasing the springform latch and place it on a serving plate.

Prepare the Turtle Topping Caramel Glaze

1.

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, stir maple syrup and almond butter just until smooth.

2.

Stir in salt and vanilla. Remove from heat to cool off and thicken.

3.

Pour caramel glaze evenly over cheesecake and top with chopped pecans.

Prepare the Chocolate Drizzle

1.

In a double boiler or microwave safe dish, combine chocolate chips and oil and stir every 30 seconds just until smooth.

2.

Drizzle chocolate over cheesecake. Add some chocolate chips on top and refrigerate to set.

3.

Note regarding bake times: individual oven times may vary. Convection often cooks a few minutes faster than regular mode. Your cheesecake will be finished when it’s golden, but not cracked. It should be set but jiggles slightly in the center if you shake it.

Healthier Turtle Cheesecake

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Susan Yaari
Susan Yaari
5 months ago

what cheese do you use in israel?

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Nechama R
Nechama R
2 years ago

I made the crust and caramel and it was amazing!!

Leah
Leah
2 years ago

This was a real disappointment. It tastes like straight-up sour cream. The crust and glaze are good, so if you want to make a healthier turtle cheesecake, I’d suggest taking the cheese filling from Brownie Bottom Cheesecake and using it in place of the one from this recipe.

stern stern
stern stern
Reply to  Leah
2 years ago

w

judy Goldring
judy Goldring
2 years ago

does the turtle cheese cake freeze well?

Raquel
Raquel
Reply to  judy Goldring
2 years ago

Yes it should 🙂