Lemon Cheesecake * KETO

Net Carbs 2.4 |  Servings 16

Are you kidding me?! These cheesecake bars are insanely delicious!  I make them in muffin tins and freeze them.  I wrap each individually in saran wrap and place them in a zip lock bag and take one out of the freezer when I crave them (which is all.the.time!).  I love topping them with fresh raspberries or blueberries and whipped cream! 

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups almond flour
• ¼ cup Swerve Sweetener
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup butter melted

Cheesecake Filling:

• 16 oz cream cheese softened
• ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener (more if you like it sweeter)
• 2 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
• 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• 2 large eggs

Instructions:

Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.

Press evenly into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan and bake 10 minutes - it won't be cooked through. Set aside and let cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 275F.

Lemon Cheesecake Filling:

Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the sweetener, and then beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cream until no lumps remain.

Beat in the eggs until just combined - do not over beat as this can cause cracking.

Spread the filling over cooled crust and bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until filling is just set and the center barely jiggles when shaken.

Let cool 30 minutes, then chill for at least 2 hours.

Garnish with powdered sweetener and additional lemon zest, if desired.

Notes:

THE SHORTBREAD CRUST:

This is my favorite keto crust recipe and I use it often. It’s so tender, with great flavor, and it holds together well. Be sure to bake it for 10 minutes, and then let it cool before adding the filling. It won’t be completely baked through but this firms it up enough to stand up to the cream cheese filling.

SOFTEN THAT CREAM CHEESE PROPERLY!

You want to leave it at room temperature for at least a half an hour, and it should have plenty of give when you press a finger into it. If it’s not properly softened, your bars will end up with cream cheese lumps. Beat it well to smooth it out before you add any other ingredients.

BEAT THE EGGS IN LAST AND DON’T OVER-BEAT. 

A little trick I learned when writing The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking is to beat the eggs in at the last minute, and only until just combined. Many cheesecake fillings suffer from being over-beaten, which causes them to rise too much during baking and then fall and crack.

DON’T RUSH THE CHILLING TIME

When you smell these coming out of the oven, the temptation will be to dig in right away. But you will end up with some lovely lemon cheesecake goo if you do so. Be sure to let them chill for at least 2 hours.

Source: All Day I Dream About Food