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What can I say? I have a four year old, and one thing that I've always got plenty of is Goldfish snacks! I think I have a pantry full of nearly every flavor that's offered. Some sweet. Some savory. All delicious. I'm always trying to come up with fun and playful things to do with the tasty little snacks that we all know and love. Today, I'm thinking way outside the box (and the bag) though.
With spring fast approaching I knew that I wanted to create something light, sweet, rather guilt-free, and easy enough that it could be done while chasing around the kiddos or even make use of some helping little hands. This rich and creamy Skinny Peanut Butter Cheesecake was the perfect solution! I'm sure you're wondering by now... why I'm talking about a cheesecake rather than some sort of trail mix. Well, the answer is simple. The pretzel Goldfish snacks are what makes up the crust of this decadent beauty!
When started out making this cheesecake, I wanted to be sure that I got the perfect crust. I was pretty sure that I knew what I was doing. I was basically taking the idea of a typical cookie crumb crust, but swapping the cookies out for the crumbs of some pretzel Goldfish snacks.
Easy enough, right? Wrong.
I'm still not quite sure how, but I somehow managed to flub up the crust with miss measuring. Not once. But twice. Yes... twice! The one that you see pictured would be my third, final, and perfected attempt. Really all I could do was laugh at myself with the second crust not turning out quite right. How could I be so silly to mess up something so simple two times? Hehe. Of course, I have my mini chef and good luck charm to thank for it finally coming out right.
I wanted a crust that was going to hold up well to the thickness and density of a cheesecake. But, I didn't want it to takeover the dessert. I wanted the crust to hold the cheesecake steady and be it's delicious support. A counterweight to balance out the decadent peanut butter goodness atop.
Did you know that most peanut butter cheesecakes clock in at over 500 calories in a single slice? Never mind the 51+ in total carbohydrates. Yikes! Since I was also going for something lighter and rather wholesome, I immediately went for the pretzel Goldfish snacks for a crust! I also used a greek yogurt cream cheese to give an added boost of protein. It didn't hurt that it was 1/3 less fat that regular cream cheese too.
This cheesecake is about half the calories and carbs of your average run-of-the mill peanut butter cheesecake. It's even more easy to make. Yes, that's right. No baking involved! As we approach spring and warmer weather, I tend to use my oven less and less. So, as my little girl would say, this cheesecake is 'perfectly-perfect'!
It's definitely a win-win situation. My daughter gets her yummy Goldfish snacks and I get my Skinny Cheesecake. What's better is that this is a kid-friendly recipe that's sure to delight any age! It's also so easy to do that you could have your kids help in making it for a fun springtime kitchen activity to do together.
Just be sure that you keep it cool when it's not on your plate and about to be indulged in.
Skinny Peanut Butter Cheesecake
TheSkinnyFork.com
The Skinny:
Servings: 16 • Size: 1 Slice • Calories: 288.8 • Fat: 8.2 g • Carb: 22.5 g • Fiber: 1.7 g • Protein: 10.1 g • Sugar: 6.9 g • Sodium: 273.9 mg
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 C. Pretzel Goldfish Snacks
1/4 C. Light Butter, Melted
Filling:
16 Oz. Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese
1/2 C. Natural Sweetener (Truvia, Stevia, Etc.)
1 1/2 C. Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter
1 1/2 C. Whipping Cream (Not whipped cream or cool whip.)
Optional Garnishes: Mini Dark Chocolate Chips, Additional pretzel Goldfish snacks.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. and lightly coat the inside of a pie dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
Place the Goldfish snacks into a food processor or blender and blend down to a light crumb.
Combine the melted butter and crumbs into a bowl and mix together until well blended.
I was actually able to get everything I needed at my local Walmart where they happened to have Goldfish snacks cracker cartons currently on Rollback ($5.98 for 30 oz. cartons.) Their location may vary in-store, but they should be on a featured central pallet right now!
Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pie dish and place in the oven to bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown.
Remove and set aside to cool completely.
When the crust is cooled, combine the cream cheese, sweetener, and peanut butter into a large bowl and blend together until mixed completely.
In another large separate bowl, whip the whipping cream on a high speed until stiff peaks form.
Add the peanut butter mixture to the whipped cream and beat on a slow speed until smooth and creamy.
Spread the mixture out into the pie dish over the prepared and cooled crust.
Place the dish into the refrigerator and allow to chill for 2 hours or until the mixture has cooled and firmed up a bit.
Slice and serve with any optional garnish that you want!
I went with a few more pretzel Goldfish snacks and some mini dark chocolate chips.
Be sure to store any leftovers in the fridge. This cheesecake will start to 'falter' or 'loosen' after 30 minutes or so of sitting out.
Be sure to follow Goldfish on Facebook and Twitter!
I've shared my flub up in the kitchen with you, now I'd love to hear about yours! Share your funny kitchen mess up story in the comments below.
