Aunt Rocky’s Blackberry Swirl MiniCheesecake

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place foil or parchment liners in your muffin tin. If using foil muffin liners, I recommend spraying the inside with nonstick spray. (Silicone muffin cups not recommended; see notes.)

In a small bowl, melt blackberry jam. Add minced berries and stir. Set aside.

Cut cream cheese into chunks and put in large microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave for about 40–50 seconds until you can stir it with a whisk.

Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice, and whisk until creamy. Add the erythritol and whisk well again.

Spoon or pour into your muffin cups, dividing evenly. Gently drop about 1/2 teaspoon of berry sauce into the center of each muffin. Use a toothpick to slowly swirl the sauce in the muffin. Don’t swirl too much, just enough to make a pattern.

Bake 25–30 minutes, or until centers appear completely cooked. Remove from oven and leave in the muffin pan for at least 5 minutes to set up. Centers will fall due to the weight of the berries and sauce; that’s normal.

Leave in muffin pan for about 5 minutes to finishing setting. Turn out onto wire rack to cool completely before removing from muffin liners. If using parchment liners, they will slide right out; if using aluminum liners, they will release well if you sprayed the liners. Otherwise, chill before trying to remove the liners for best results.

Serve slightly warm or chilled. Add a drizzle of melted blackberry jam, if desired (be sure to count carbs for the drizzle).

Leftover muffins should be stored in the refrigerator, or may be frozen.

Notes:
• If you use silicone muffin cups, do not attempt to remove muffins until cooled and refrigerated. They’re too fragile, and won’t come out of the silicone cups easily without breaking.
• The cheesecake tops may crack, and the centers will sink a little when the muffins cool. If you want smoother top, put the muffin tin in a water bath and bake a little longer, until they seem set to the touch. Use a toothpick test to be sure they’re done. I don’t use the water bath method, so I can’t say exactly how much time to add.
• If you can’t find Smucker’s Sugar Free Jam, look for another brand of sugar free jam or even sugar free fruit syrup. Change up the flavors with any berry and jam combination, or make a few of each flavor.
• If you use Kite Hill non-dairy cream cheese spread, double the amount of vanilla, lemon juice and erythritol to improve flavor.
• For more low lchf/keto recipes and cooking tips, look for Aunt Rocky’s Low Carb Recipes Group on Facebook.

Nutritional estimates are per serving based on exact ingredients I used, calculated with a free online recipe analyzer. Calories 143, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Sodium 138 mg, Potassium 16 mg, Total Carbohydrate 2 g, Dietary Fiber 0 g, Net Carbs 2 g, Sugars 1 g, Protein 4 g. Macros: 83% fat, 11% protein, 6% net carbs.

© August 27, 2016 Roxana Lopez for Aunt Rocky’s