I was reading something online the other day, the sentence started “I don’t like cheesecake…” and I don’t know what happened after that. I don’t quite trust people who say they don’t like cheesecake…..it’s weird….what’s not to like?!? Okay, so everyone can’t like the same things but, but cheesecake? It’s like saying you don’t like puppies or being happy! Anyway, if like me you ARE a cheesecake lover and would like to try making your own, here’s one recipe that will leave you a little bit more nuts for the stuff. It was Nutella day last week, which totally came by surprise to me as I didn’t know there was such a day, most likely invented by Nutella. Now, I do like Nutella but it’s not the healthiest thing on the planet and to be frank – it’s laden with sugar, very little percentage of nuts and more sugary chocolate. Step up Keen. They have made their version of Nutella using 83% hazelnuts and 17% decadent dark chocolate. Now that’s what I call a nutty spread! I took a recipe for Nutella cheesecake and replaced yes you guessed it, the Nutella with Keen and my word, you are gonna love this….
Ingredients
250g digestive biscuits
75g butter or coconut oil (the firm stuff)
450g cream cheese (full fat)
350g Keen hazelnut and extremely dark choc
60g icing sugar
100g chopped toasted hazelnuts
Method
Blitz the digestives in a food processor. Meanwhile heat the butter and 1 tbsp of nut butter over a medium heat. Add the blitzed biscuits and a couple of spoonfuls of chopped nuts to the butter mixture. Mix well until combined and then press into a loose bottomed 8inch tin. Press the mixture down firmly and up the sides of the tin a little to create a lip and smooth the surface with a spoon. In a big bowl soften the cream cheese. I used full fat as it’s what I had at the time but I will try this with a lighter version or maybe Quark in future? Add the icing sugar and beat together. The mixture should start to stiffen a little at this stage. Add the rest of the nut butter and beat to combine well. Give it a few folds with a large spoon to make sure you get everything all in there and then tip onto the base. Top with the chopped nuts and let it set in the fridge for at least 4 hours, overnight preferably. Loosen the sides by running a knife round if you need to, remove from tin and enjoy! Try using half and half different nut butters (or use half Nutella for a little naughtiness) to create different flavours, use pecan nuts and try gingernuts, oreos or hobnobs for the base instead 🙂
Sharon Duffin Photography 