Aunt Rocky’s Peppermint Swirl Cheesecake Squares (Fat Bomb)

Line a 7×11 inch pan with parchment so that the paper hangs over the long sides of the pan. (You could use cling wrap, but may need to let the frozen dish warm up a little on the counter to get it to release.)

Cube cream cheese into a medium mixing bowl. Microwave 30 seconds to soften. Add mascarpone, microwave another 20 seconds. Everything should be soft enough to whisk; if not, return to microwave for 10 seconds or so more. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

Add powdered erythritol, sucralose, peppermint, and vanilla extracts. Whisk again until smooth. After everything is well blended, transfer mixture to the lined pan, spread batter evenly in the dish, all the way to the edges. Shake or tap lightly on counter to smooth the surface.

Drop several drops of red food coloring around the top of the mixture. Use a steak knife tip or skewer to slowly swirl the food coloring around. Add more drops of red if needed, and don’t over-mix. You want to preserve the red swirls as much as possible.

If you have some sugar-free peppermint candies, crush a few and sprinkle over the top of the mixture. This adds a lot of peppermint flavor to the treat, and looks more festive. Winter mints may be used if you can’t find the red and white peppermint candies.

Place in freezer until well set, up to 2 hours. Remove from freezer when completely set. Using the overhanging parchment, pull the entire batch out of the pan and cut into 20 squares (4 cuts on the short side of the pan, 5 cuts on the long side). Transfer finished squares to air tight container and store in freezer until ready to serve. I find it helpful to put a iece of waxed paper or parchment between layers in the container so they don’t stick to each other.

Tip: I find the sugar free peppermint candies at CVS or Walgreens Pharmacy and The Dollar Tree during the holiday season. I buy several bags and keep them in the pantry for use throughout the year. If you don’t add the crushed mint candies, you may want to increase the amount of peppermint extract used in the batter.

Notes:
• For a fancier presentation, melt a sugar-free chocolate bar and drizzle chocolate over the top before sprinkling on the crushed peppermint candies.
• The Bel Giosio Mascarpone is lower in carbs than cream cheese, and creates a creamier taste. You may use more cream cheese if you prefer, and add .5 net carbs per piece.
• Nutrition estimates are based on My Fitness Pal’s online recipe analyzer. Brand names are included only to assure more accurate estimates. The recipe is stored on and available to MFP users for logging in their food diaries. Sugar alcohols, allulose, and liquid sucralose are not absorbed by the body and rate zero on the glycemic index, so are excluded from nutrition counts.
• For more Atkins/low carb/Keto recipes and cooking tips, look for Aunt Rocky’s Low Carb Recipes & Tips Group on Facebook, or follow me on Pinterest at auntrocky2.

Per serving: Calories 88, Total Fat 9 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Sodium 42 mg, Potassium 0.2 mg, Total Carbohydrate 0 g, Dietary Fiber 0 g, Net Carbs 0.4 g, Sugars 0.4 g, Protein 2 g. Macros: 91% fat, 9% protein, 0% carbs.

© December 16, 2018 Roxana Lopez.