Introduction: Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 9 whole crackers) 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup cold water 16 ounces fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed 2 packages (8 ounces each) fat-free cream cheese, cubed 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese Sugar substitute equivalent to 3/4 cup sugar 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed, divided 1/2 cup chocolate ice cream topping 1 cup quartered fresh strawberries

Step 1:

First you need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees and take out a pie dish or circular springform pan. In a bag, crush the chocolate graham crackers as small as possible and pour into pie dish. Melt the butter in the microwave and combine with the crushed crackers, mix, and press an even layer across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Place in oven until set or about 10 minutes

Step 2:

Take the two packs of gelatin and combine with water in a saucepan. Let sit 1 minute before dissolving over low heat in a small saucepan. If you are using fresh strawberries, hull them and place in a blender or food processor until smooth and then transfer to a separate bowl.

Step 3:

Place cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sugar substitute (I used stevia) into blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add gelatin mixture while blending. Add in strawberry puree and blend until combined and smooth.

Step 4:

Transfer blended mixture to a large mixing bowl and fold in the whipped topping.

Step 5:

Pour cheesecake mixture into the graham cracker crust, cover, and place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours to set.

Step 6:

After cheesecake is set, top with preferred chocolate topping and a fresh strawberry. Leftover batter can be frozen in cupcake molds for up to two weeks in the freezer.