Creamy Strawberry Cheesecake

Name: Creamy Strawberry Cheesecake
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 320 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 4 HONEY MAID Honey Grahams, finely crushed (about 1/2 cup crumbs); 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted; 1 cup sugar, divided; 1 container low-fat cottage cheese; 2 cups cholesterol-free egg product, divided; 2 pkg. Neufchatel cheese, softened; ½ tsp. almond extract; 2 cups strawberries, divided

This creamy baked cheesecake, made with low-fat cottage cheese and reduced-fat cream cheese, is topped with an easy strawberry sauce and sliced strawberries.

Prep time:

0 min

Total time:

0 h 0 min

Servings:

Makes 16 servings.

Ingredient list

4 HONEY MAID Honey Grahams, finely crushed (about 1/2 cup crumbs)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar, divided
1 container (24 oz.) low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups cholesterol-free egg product, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Neufchatel cheese, softened
½ tsp. almond extract
2 cups sliced strawberries, divided

Directions

Heat oven to 325°F.

Combine graham crumbs, butter and 2 Tbsp. of the sugar; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Blend cottage cheese and 1/2 cup egg product in blender or food processor until well blended; set aside.

Beat Neufchatel cheese, almond extract, remaining egg product and 3/4 cup of the remaining sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add cottage cheese mixture; mix well. Pour over crust.

Bake 1 hour 20 min. or until cheesecake is puffed and center is almost set. Cool 15 min. Carefully run metal spatula or knife around rim of pan to loosen cheesecake; remove rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 3 hours.

Place 1 cup of the strawberries and the remaining sugar in blender; blend until smooth.

Arrange remaining strawberry slices on top of cheesecake; drizzle with strawberry purée. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Tips

Note
If baking the cheesecake in a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan, reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
Size-Wise
An occasional dessert can be part of a balanced diet, but remember to keep tabs on portions.
How to Soften the Neufchatel Cheese
Place completely unwrapped packages of Neufchatel cheese on microwaveable plate. Microwave on HIGH 15 to 20 sec. or just until Neufchatel cheese is slightly softened.