Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars {low-fat!}

You know what’s insanely good? Cheesecake. I love cheesecake. I love s’mores cheesecake with toasted marshmallow, chocolate cheesecake, + even the occasional cheesecake martini. NOM. The only thing i don’t like about cheesecake? That it ain’t exactly health food. So, when i was recently jonesing for cheesecake, but wanted a lighter/healthier version, I got searching. I soon stumbled across these fabulous-looking low-fat + lower-calorie cheesecake bars + couldn’t wait to try them!

So, how do they taste? Delicious! The lightened-up, lower-fat ingredients make these wonderfully light + airy. The greek yogurt adds a bright tartness that works perfectly with the richer, creamy batter. I chose raspberry jam because I prefer slightly-tart berries, but if you prefer a sweeter bar, you can easily substitute strawberry jam, peach jam, or any type that suits your fancy. And the best part? At under 150 calories per bar, you can get your cheesecake fix without worrying that you’re ruining your healthy eating. And that’s always a good thing when swimsuit season is in full swing!

Low-Fat Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

makes 9 bars, adapted from skinnytaste – gina’s skinny recipes

ingredients

non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (the original recipe used light butter, but i used normal butter)
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
2 large egg whites
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup jam (the original recipe called for sugar-free strawberry jam, but i substituted regular raspberry preserves)

directions

pre-heat the oven to 350°. lightly coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray.

in a small bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs + butter with a fork until evenly moistened. press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

gently beat cream cheese, sugar + vanilla extract until smooth using an electric mixer (or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment). gradually beat in Greek yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, + flour. do not over beat. when smooth, pour evenly over graham cracker crust.

stir jam until smooth. drop evenly-spaced small spoonfuls over the surface of filling. using a knife, swirl jam gently through filling to create a marbled effect.

bake 25-30 minutes or until center is almost set. cool to room temperature. chill a few hours in the refrigerator.

nutritional information per serving, as provided by skinnytaste:
servings per recipe: 9 • size: 1 slice • old weight watchers points: 3 pts • ww points+: 4 pts
calories: 132.9 • fat: 5.6 g • carb: 15.1 g • fiber: 0.1 g • protein: 5.8 g

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