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I can’t remember much about what prompted me to try doing these Keto Mint Chip Cheesecake Squares, except that picturing them in my head I thought they would look really good! I also really love cheesecake, if you couldn’t tell by all the cheesecake recipes on the website, but mint is a flavour you don’t see too often with a cheesecake, that goes great with chocolate and that can easily be made low carb and keto friendly.
I’ve also been trying to keep my recipes more easy and simple lately and it doesn’t get much easier than a no bake cheesecake! While I always prefer the taste of baked cheesecakes, there’s no arguing with how much easier and quicker it can be to whip up a no bake one sometimes. A no bake cheesecake is also highly adaptable, meaning it’s easy for those that might not have much baking experience to change up the recipe.
I also did this Mint Chip Cheesecake as squares, not only for the presentation but for something a little bit different than a regular circle cheesecake. Kiddies also seem to love the square shapes and both the mint and choc chips in this Mint Chip Cheesecake are really popular with kids, as was proved by Caleb’s friends visiting often, in the hopes of grabbing themselves a piece! The colouring while of course not necessary, also adds to the presentation and makes the Mint Chip Cheesecake Squares look a little bit more on the whimsical side!
The recipe itself for these Mint Chip Cheesecake Squares is incredibly easy with ingredients that can all be grabbed in one trip to the supermarket. I actually always have these ingredients on hand in the pantry, fridge and freezer, so I didn’t even need a trip to the shops for this one. If you prefer not to use food colourings, you can always leave the colour out and they will still look and taste great.
For the Chocolate Ganache on these Mint Chip Cheesecake Squares, I’ve listed sweetener as optional. Personally I think the rest of the cheesecake is plenty sweet enough that you don’t need to add sweetener to the ganache itself, but everyone has different levels of sweetness and while some might find it fine like me, others might think it’s too bitter. So taste and adjust the level of sweetness to suit your own tastes if you need to.
If using chocolate that is completely unsweetened for the ganache in these Mint Chip Cheesecake Squares, you might want to not only add the optional sweetener, but possibly a little bit more than what the recipe calls for if it suits you. Or you can leave out the sweetener and use a lower percentage cacao chocolate like 90% or 85% to up the sweetness level instead, but remember that this will add carbs and sugar to the final serving size.
I like to make the carbs and sugar as low as possible, which is why I’ve turned in the 90% chocolate I use in all my recipes for the 95% which I have been using the last few months. If you’re willing to shell out the extra money, a keto friendly milk chocolate is also an option, I recommend Vitawerx and Well Naturally both for their taste and great ingredients!
Mint Chip Cheesecake Squares
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond meal
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 5 tbsp sweetener
- 50 g butter melted
- 500 g cream cheese softened
- 1 cup thickened cream/heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 3 tsp gelatine powder
- 4 tbsp cacao nibs
- 2 tsp peppermint essence
- 12 drops green food colouring
Chocolate Ganache
- ⅔ cup thickened cream/heavy whipping cream
- 80 g 95% dark chocolate
- 1 tsp Optional powdered sweetener, to taste
Instructions
- Combine almond meal, cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon sweetener in a bowl and mix well (I find using fingers best). Add melted butter, mix or knead through.
- Grease and line a square cake pan. Press in chocolate almond meal in an even layer to make cheesecake base. Put in the fridge to chill.
- Combine cream cheese and remaining 4 tablespoons sweetener with a stick mixer or similar until smooth. Add cream and mix at a low speed to combine.
- Combine gelatine and boiling water and whisk to dissolve. If there are still lumps, microwave for 15-30 seconds and whisk again until dissolved. Add to cheesecake batter and mix until combined.
- Add in peppermint essence, food colouring and cacao nibs. Mix with a spoon until the colour is evenly mixed throughout the cheesecake batter. Pour cheesecake batter over chilled base and place in the fridge overnight or until completely set.
- Make chocolate ganache by combining broken up chocolate and half the cream in a small pot on the stove over low heat. Stir frequently (the chocolate can burn if you leave it sitting on the heat too long) until melted and combined, then remove immediately from the heat. If the chocolate looks like it has started to split, don’t worry, it will come together again.
- Immediately add in your remaining cream and stir to combine. As soon as the chocolate looks combined, silky and smooth, stop stirring. Mixing too much can make the ganache start to split. If it does start to split, add and mix in another tablespoon or two of cream to bring it back to a smooth consistency.
- Pour over the top of the chilled cheesecake and smooth with the back of a spoon. Return to the fridge until set. Remove from pan by lifting out with the baking paper, cut into squares and keep stored in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
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