What’s that you say? How can I be making cheesecake for my gluten-free and dairy-free blog?
I’ve been dairy free for a number of years due to severe lactose intolerance. [I know it’s an intolerance and not a casein (milk protein) allergy because I can eat lactose-free cottage cheese and drink lactose-free milk.] Over the last year, I read a lot of research about the interplay of gluten and lactose intolerance–people with Celiac Disease are frequently also lactose intolerant because of damage to the small intestines. A gluten-free diet can sometimes allow the small intestine to repair itself.
Although I tested negative for Celiac Disease last year, I still maintain a pretty strict gluten-free diet, and have been totally gluten-free for about 9 months. And guess what? I can eat some dairy again!!! Not too much and mostly only cooked dairy [like cheesecake :)], but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this celebratory cheesecake recipe. I made these cheesecake bites for an office holiday bake-off [and they won!].
I made a crust of crushed gingersnap cookies (Trader Joe’s makes a wonderful gluten-free version).
For a little extra pizazz I whipped up a quick cranberry jam (also great spread on a piece of gluten-free toast). Happy holidays to one and all!
Gingersnap Cheesecake Bites w/ Homemade Cranberry Jam
Ingredients:
Cheesecake
Gingersnap crumbs
24 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 + 1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Cranberry Jam
16 oz fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp water
Directions:
- Allow cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs to come to room temperature.
- Cream together cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, mixing until well blended. Do not overmix.
- Grease a mini muffin tin. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp gingersnap crumbs into the bottom of each cup. Fill each cup about 3/4 full of cream cheese mixture.
- Bake 10-15 minutes at 325 degrees until edges are brown and center is no longer jiggly [technical term, I know :)].
- Meanwhile, place jam ingredients in a small stock-pot. Bring ingredients to a boil, then simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly, until cranberries have “popped.” Cool.
- Allow cheesecakes to cool completely and top with cranberry jam. Store leftovers (if any) in the fridge.
The cost:
gingersnaps: 1.99
cream cheese: 4.77
sour cream: 1.19
cranberries: 1.79
pantry ingredients: ~2.00
Grand total: $11.74 (makes 48)
Winning the office holiday bake-off: Priceless 
Rella,
I am going to make this for New Year’s Eve! Hope you are well and look forward to reconnecting in 2011!
XOXO,
Alyson
Rella, this looks delicious! I am so glad you are able to eat more dairy now. Y’s cousin also went dairy-free but would still have severe stomach pain at times. She noticed that she was often suffering after shabbat meals and realized that the one food she did not typically eat any other time was challah. Now that she has removed gluten from her diet for some time she can eat dairy again, like the yummy cheesy quiche her mother made the last time we visited. I hope there will be yummy cheesy quiches in your future
Oh my! This looks like a fantastic recipe! I made a GF and DF cheesecake for my b-day last month, and it was amazing! I love that you made your own cranberry jam too, I bet that was pretty great!
These are so beautiful!!