Satisfy your sweet tooth on National Chocolate Day with a boost of protein and probiotics by making our Chocolate Chai Cheesecake Bites. The tangy kefir, aromatic chai spices, and a hypnotizing swirl of farmer cheese make these bars a decadent way to warm your soul on this chilly October day. Get your ovens started because this is a dessert you are going to want to devour!
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for optimal digestion and gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health. Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1.
Lifeway Kefir is packed with a variety of vital nutrients important for overall health, including bone and muscle health; these include vitamin D3, K, calcium, and vitamin B12. Along with our probiotic-rich kefir, Lifeway also offers artisan-made Farmer Cheese,a creamy, high-protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support healthy muscles and a healthy microbiome. Lifeway Farmer Cheese is easy to spread, free of gums and thickeners, and contains no added salt or sugar for optimal health benefits.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 9 sheets of graham crackers
- 5 tbsp. Lifeway Kefir Butter
- 2 tbsp. dark cocoa powder
For the Cheesecake:
- 1 cup (1/2 a container) of Farmer Cheese
- 1/2 cup Organic Whole Milk Vanilla Kefir
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean powder or additional extract
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 ts.p cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray an 8×8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- Next, place graham crackers, kefir butter, and dark cocoa powder into a food processor and process everything together until the mixture turns into a crumble.
- Pour the graham cracker crumble into the 8×8-inch pan, and press it into the bottom of the pan until it is evenly spread out.
- Bake the crust for 7 minutes at 350ºF and then remove it from the oven.
- Clean the food processor and then blend the farmer cheese, vanilla extract, kefir, and maple syrup in the food processor until smooth.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and then add the egg white and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
- Next, remove 1/2 cup of the cheesecake mixture from the food processor and set aside.
- Pour the remaining cheesecake mixture over the graham cracker crust. Spread the mixture evenly over the crust.
- Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together until smooth.
- Add the 1/2 cup of cheesecake batter that was set aside to the food processor along with the melted chocolate and chai spices. Blend until smooth.
- Add the chocolate cheesecake mixture to the top of the plain cheesecake mixture and create a checkerboard design.
- Take a toothpick and swirl the chocolate cheesecake mixture and plain cheesecake mixture together to create a marble effect!
- Place the bars in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake bars cool.
