Healthier Nutella Cheesecakes

Guys, listen up.  I know you think you're God's gift to women, but I've got news for you: you're not.  I know what God's gift to women is, and it's Nutella.  Whoever first realized what a great team chocolate and hazelnuts are should have gotten a reward or something.

Now there are plenty of reasons not to eat Nutella.  It is not healthy.  The company lost a lawsuit in 2012 and had to pay out $3 million for false nutrition claims in their advertising.  It also has a rep for being pretty bad for the environment.  Palm oil, the second freaking ingredient listed in Nutella, is hardly sustainable, as rain forests are routinely cleared out to make way for palm plantations.  That said, Nutella has has made a commitment to improve sustainability and make a point on their website that they don't use Indonesian palm oil.  So they are making progress and that should be celebrated.

Plus, this giant jar was a gift!

As soon as I got this bad boy (and after I'd dried my tears of joy) I set about thinking of ways to use it.  I decided to make Nutella cheesecake first, and challenged myself to healthy it up a bit.  The result was this guy:

#nofilter

Look at that cross-section.  So much graham-cracker crust.

Creamy and Nutella-y, you'd never know they were made with fat-free cream cheese and flax seeds.  One contains only 135 calories, has no trans fat, and less sugar than you'd think.  Each one is a full serving of protein, and they're high in calcium and Vitamin A. Since I liked how they came out, I am already planning to adapt the recipe for  pumpkin cheesecake in the fall!  Here is the recipe.  Enjoy!

For the crust:

8 graham crackers, crushed
2 TBSP ground flax seeds (I used a flax and chia blend)
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar

For the cheesecake:

1 package fat-free cream cheese
1 small tub fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 egg yolk
2 TBSP Nutella

To assemble, mix everything for the crust together and press into the bottom of your cupcake liners.  In a separate bowl cream together your cheesecake ingredients.  I did this manually but if you use a hand mixer you'll get a fluffier cheesecake.  Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition Info in 1 (batch makes 12)

calories: 135, fat: 9 grams (4 grams saturated), protein: 7.5 grams, 11% DV calcium, 13% DV Vitamin A