This healthy, 21 Day Fix Brownie-Bottom Cheesecake is the perfect make-ahead dessert for any holiday. The sweet-tart raspberry sauce puts the whole thing over the top!
You guys. This. Cheesecake. Is. Ridiculous.
Normally I like to start off my posts with letting you know what's going on with me lately (or as of late apologizing for not posting more often - ugh, summer, I love you, but you keep me busy!) - but NOT today. Nope. I just can't wait to tell you aaall about this awesomeness.
Basically these brownies and this cheesecake hooked up and made a creamy, chocolate-y baby with raspberry sauce. Or something like that.
Tastiest baby mash-up ever.
I got the idea to make this recently when the hubs brought home one of those cheesecake samplers from the grocery store - why he does this to me, I have no idea, but I have little willpower so I eagerly helped him eat it. With a smile on my face and a song in my heart.
In any case, one of the varieties had a brownie bottom and it was darn good.
But not nearly as good as this, because raspberry sauce, people. Raspberry. Sauce.
The first time I tested this, my notoriously picky 6 year old literally said "This is the best cake I've ever eaten!"
To clarify, I asked her "Do you mean, the best cake mommy's ever made or the best one you've ever had?"
6 year old: "No, the best one I've EVER had! You should make this every day."
Ok, so she's only six and probably hasn't had all that many desserts (in comparison to you or I) but mama's taking that as a win, my friends. It's definitely high up on my list... because rich, fudgy brownie with the creamiest cheesecake filling topped with the perfect sweet-tart raspberry sauce is basically dessert heaven. Hea-ven.
The other thing I love about this cheesecake is that it's made from real ingredients and I can feel good about serving it to my kids, myself and everyone else in my life. It also has a LOT less sugar and a lot MORE protein than most cheesecakes.
This make-ahead gorgeousness would be perfect on any holiday table, for any special event or even as the perfect ending to a Sunday dinner.
Hope you love it as much as we do!
Don't forget to save this Brownie-Bottom Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce to Pinterest! ⇓
** See bottom of post for some ideas on what to do with your leftover pumpkin puree!
If you make this recipe be sure to snap a pic and tag me @thefoodieandthefix or use #thefoodieandthefix on Instagram so I can check it out! It makes me ridiculously happy to see what you guys are making 🙂
📖 Recipe
21 Day Fix Brownie-Bottom Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
Ingredients
Brownie Bottom:
- 2 Tbs coconut oil
- 3 Tbs semisweet mini chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 Tbs mashed banana
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbs raw sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon instant coffee granules
- ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour (I haven't tested this with any other flours, just fyi)
Cheesecake Filling:
- 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
- ½ cup 1% or non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbs raw sugar
- 3 tbs whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberry Sauce:
- 10 oz frozen raspberries (no sugar/sweetener added)
- 2 Tbs raw sugar
- 1 Tbs cornstarch
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
Make the brownie bottom:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, spray an 8 inch spring form pan with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, melt together the coconut oil and chocolate chips, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients through the coffee granules (it's ok if it's not completely smooth). Next whisk in the melted chocolate chip mixture and the whole wheat pastry flour, until just combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Keep a close eye so it doesn't over-bake. Let cool while you make the cheesecake filling (leave the oven on!)
Cheesecake:
- Add cottage cheese and yogurt into a blender and blend away until the mixture is completely smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender. Process until smooth and fully combined, then pour on top of your brownie bottom.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the sides start to pull away from the pan and the top looks dry. If you gently shake the pan, you should get a little movement towards the center. If everything is sloshing around, stick it back in the oven, checking it every few minutes, until there is only a little movement towards the center (if there's no movement at all in the middle, you've overcooked it!)
- Pull out of the oven and let cool completely before refrigerating for several hours or overnight (I always just do mine overnight, so I'm not exactly sure how long it takes to set, but I would think a good 3 or 4 hours would do the trick.) After the cheesecake has set, cut into 8 slices and serve with the raspberry sauce.
Raspberry Sauce:
- In a medium pot over medium heat, add all ingredients, stirring occasionally until the berries disintegrate, sauce comes to a bubble and thickens. Pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds if desired. Cool and refrigerate until ready to serve with the cheesecake (or pancakes, nice cream or a spoon!)
Notes
21 Day Fix Container Equivalents per Serving: ½ Red, ½ Yellow, 1 tsp, 3 teaspoon sugar (2 teaspoon without raspberry topping)
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 8
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 slice of cheesecake with 2 tablespoons of sauceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 227Total Fat: 8gProtein: 10g
21 Day Fix Pumpkin Oat Cookies
Pumpkin Goat Cheese Spread
Pumpkin Spice Simple Syrup + A Boozy (or not!) Pumpkin Spice Latte
Oh, and if you have some leftover raspberry sauce, you should make some of these raspberry-filled chocolates!
Stevie says
Can you freeze this?
Stephanie says
I've never frozen it, but I think it should be fine!
Tammy says
For the nutritional values, do you know what the carb count is on this cheesecake? It looks delicious. I made it yesterday. I am going to try it today. 😋
Stephanie says
Hi! I don't, but you could input the ingredients on my fitness pal (or something similar) to get an idea of the carb count! Hope you love it!
Haylee Nelson says
What if I only have a 9 inch pan?
Stephanie says
Hi! You can use that, but it'll cook faster and be thinner 🙂
Kim says
I’m wondering what size springform on this recipe fits.
Stephanie says
8 inch!
Jen says
Is there a Fix-approved alternative to the brownie crust? I’m allergic to nuts, chocolate and pumpkin....Maybe like a graham cracker type?
Stephanie says
Hi! I don't have another crust that would meet that criteria (graham crackers aren't approved, or at least I've never found any that are!) but I have made this cheesecake crustless and it turned out great!
Alexis says
I've been trying a variety of 21 Day Fix desserts in attempt to satisfy my sweet tooth with no luck until now!!! This was easy and sooooo good. The texture was perfection and the flavor so satisfying. I am so happy I found and tried this recipe.
Thank you!!!
Stephanie says
This made my day! I'm so happy you loved it!!
Cathy Cook says
My 21 day fix info doesn't include sugar as a container count. Has that been added in the last two years?
Has anyone substituted Stevia or agave syrup instead of raw sugar?
Stephanie says
Hi Cathy! Sweetener isn't really a container count per se, but Fix approved sweeteners are listed in the coffee bar section of the book, stating you can have 1-2 cups of coffee per day with 1-2 tsp of sweetener for each. It's not required that you count your sweetener teaspoons, but many people like to, so I include them in my container counts. Sorry for the confusion! I'm sure you could substitute stevia or agave instead of the raw sugar, you'll just use a lot less of the stevia. 🙂
Mary Manley says
I'm so glad I found this! I'm making it for my birthday on Tuesday. Maybe I read the post too fast, or maybe I salivated on my phone a little bit, but I can't seem to find the print button on mobile?
Stephanie says
Ah! Sorry I'm having trouble with my recipe card doing that right now! However, if you open it in your web browser from your phone, it should let you print the screen! There's a print button on desktop though, right underneath the photo in the recipe card.
Peg says
Can this be made in muffin tins ?
Stephanie says
I'm sure it could! You'll just have to keep a close eye so you don't over bake them!
Ali says
AMAZING! Trying to lose weight but still craving sugar, thank you so much for this recipe!!! It is SO GOOD.
Stephanie says
Yay!! This made my day, Ali! Thank you!!
Sara says
Whole wheat flour vs whole wheat pastry flour? (We struggled to find whole wheat in our area, not sure how readily available whole wheat pastry would be!)
Stephanie says
Hey Sara! Whole wheat pastry flour can be tough to find, but I've found it's the absolute best 21 Day Fix approved flour to bake with! It bakes up just like white flour and not super dense the way regular whole wheat flour does. I order mine from Amazon - here's an affiliate link for the one that I buy, hope this helps! - Whole Wheat Pastry Flour - However, I will say that very little is used in this recipe and if you're planning on making it for Valentine's day, I think regular whole wheat flour would work fine for this one! Hope you love it!
Kylie says
Would taste be affected if I didn’t add the coffee? Or is just added to complement the chocolate? Thanks’
Stephanie says
Hey Kylie! The coffee masks the slight banana flavor from the bananas, so it tastes more chocolate-y. I think you'd be fine to leave it out if you don't have it for this recipe though. Hope you love it!
Michelle says
Hi there. I have quick question. I have some weird food allergies, banana, avocado, tree nuts and mango which makes eating healthy a challenge sometimes, especially in the dessert world! Banana is substituted in SO many desserts to make them healthier, which I would love to do but am unable. I love the 21 day fix diet, but keep to the basics. Do you have and substitute suggestions for banana in desserts? I would love to be able to branch out more!
Stephanie says
Hey Michelle! This is a really tough one! It really depends on the recipe, in this specific one, the banana is only used as a sweetener and could be substituted with something like blended medjool dates. If you have any other specific recipes, you can always shoot 'em to me and I'd be happy to give you a hand!
Debbie says
Question— maybe I’m just missing it—you bake the bottom and cheesecake separately? Then stack them? Or pour the cheesecake mixture on top of brownie bottom, and bake it again? Thanks!
Stephanie says
Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, somehow I didn't put it in the directions (fixing that now!). You pour the cheesecake filling onto the cooked brownie bottom and then bake as directed.
Amanda Daquelente says
This post gave me life! Can't wait to give this a try!
XOXO,
"Gayle"
Stephanie says
Hahahaha... Hope you love it, Gayle! 😉
Agness of Run Agness Run says
Such an awesome combination of ingredients, Stephanie! This cake has the potential of becoming my favorite!
Stephanie says
Thanks, Agness!!
Amanda @ The Pretend Baker says
I HAVE ALL OF THESE THINGS
Except cottage cheese, greek yogurt and enough eggs. Also I need vanilla.
So I don't have these things. But I need to have these things so I can make this and eat all of it maself. All of it.
Also, it's brilliant to use cottage cheese in cheesecake! Never thought of it. So clever, you are, my friend.
Stephanie says
I hope you end up trying some cottage cheese cheesecake, it's such a happy surprise! <3 <3 <3
Karly says
Need. Alla. Dis. Can't get over how good this looks!!!!!!
Stephanie says
Ha! Thanks, Karly!!
Lauren says
Wow, this looks delicious, and I love the healthier ingredients list! 🙂
Stephanie says
Thanks so much, Lauren!