Recipe: Coffee Cheesecake with a Chocolate Cookie Base

I'm the baker of the family. That means I'm always the one in charge of making something special for everyone's birthday - and it also means I'm the one in charge of making my own birthday cake. 

Some might think that's a bad thing - but for me, it's an incredible opportunity. It means I can experiment with whatever I feel like on my birthday. It's my birthday today and I made the best birthday cake ever so I had to share it with you right away! 

This year, my birthday kind of snuck up on me. In the last week I've been trying to think of what cake I wanted for my birthday - but I just couldn't decide... 

Then I realised: I didn't want cake. 

But that didn't mean I didn't want a birthday dessert. First I wanted cookies... then I wanted cheesecake... but then I got stuck on a coffee kick in the last week and all I could think about was coffee.... and chocolate... ohhhh chocolate always wins.... and cheesecake... hmm... 

Then yesterday, it hit me.... A coffee cheesecake with a chocolate cookie base. 

So I set to work. Yesterday afternoon I started with the cookie base, making a chocolate version of our favourite Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe and baking the cookie dough straight into the bottom of my cheesecake tins. Then I tweaked our Healthy New York Baked Cheesecake Recipe and turned it into an incredible coffee cheesecake and poured that on top to bake once more. 

I anxiously waited for it to chill and last night I tried my first one. Hellllllllllllllo heaven. Seriously, ridiculously, good. So good that you need to make this ASAP - and so good that I'll be making this recipe again on Saturday for my birthday party!  

So let me give you the recipe! >> 

Healthy Coffee Cheesecake Recipe with a Chocolate Cookie Dough Base

makes 1 medium cheesecake or 10 individual cheesecakes 

gluten free, low fat, lower sugar, high protein 

For the Chocolate Cookie Dough Cheesecake Base: 

3/4 cup (90g) gluten free plain flour 

1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/4 cup (50g) unrefined cane sugar* (see notes)

1/4 tsp baking soda 

Pinch of salt 

2 tbsp (30g) butter 

2 tbsp (30g) unsweetened applesauce 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

1 egg white 

Preheat your oven to 180C/355F. 

Grease and/or line a springform medium cheesecake pan or 10 individual loose bottom cheesecake tins. You can also use a muffin tin but grease really well or use muffin cases. 

Sift your flour and cocoa into a medium mixing bowl. Add your sugar, baking soda and salt and set aside. 

Melt your butter in a saucepan or in the microwave. Remove from heat and add applesauce and vanilla. Stir in your egg white and mix cookie dough until combined. 

If using individual cheesecake tins or a muffin tin, divide your mixture amongst your tins and flatten on the base, pushing the dough just slightly up on the sides of the tin. 

If making a full cheesecake, spread your cookie dough mixture out over the base of your cheesecake tin, pushing the dough just lightly up on the sides of the tin.

Bake your cookie dough bases for 10-15 minutes or until the edges just start to crisp and your middles are just cooked.

Allow to cool completely.

  

For the Healthy Coffee Cheesecake Filling: 

2 cups (500g) low fat cottage cheese** 

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (100g) plain greek yogurt (we used chobani 0%) 

2 eggs 

2 tbsp brewed coffee 

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup (50g) unrefined cane sugar or 3 tbsp maple syrup* 

1 1/2 tbsp (20g) cornflour/cornstarch 

Preheat your oven to 170C/340F. 

In a food processor or blender, blend your cottage cheese and yogurt until smooth and no lumps remain. 

Add in your eggs, coffee, vanilla, sugar and cornflour and mix for 1 minute, scraping down the sides and bottom and mixing again for another minute or until everything is combined. 

Pour your cheesecake filling on top of your cooled cookie crust.

Bake your cheesecake for 15-20 minutes (if baking individual cheesecakes) or about an hour (depending on the size of your cheesecake tin), keeping an eye on your cheesecake and removing from the oven once your cheesecakes are set and cooked through. 

They will have a tiny bit of jiggle in the middle, however, they will be cooked through and your edges will just start to turn golden. 

Allow to cool completely before chilling in the fridge.

This cheesecake is best served chilled and will last 3 or so days in the fridge or can be chilled and defrosted later on. 

Notes:

*This cheesecake is just lightly sweet. If you like things really sweet, increase your sugar to between 1/3-1/2 cup in each part. If using maple syrup in the filling, use 1/3 cup-1/2 cup. 

**I wouldn't suggest using fat free cottage cheese in this recipe as I've never used fat free cottage cheese in baking (and I've never eaten it either so I have no clue)

But tell me, what's your birthday cake of choice?

Do you stick to one particular cake each year or does it change from year to year? What's the best birthday cake you've ever had?!

And what flavour are your currently loving?

At the moment I'm obsessed with anything to do with strawberries, vanilla or coffee.... and chocolate is something I'll never pass up ;)