Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Slightly sweet, floral, and fresh, with a little kick of warmth from the cinnamon.
Texture: The granola crust is crunchy while the filling is thick and luscious. I love the burst of freshness from the berries on top.
Ease: Very easy. You make make these, pop them in a container in the fridge, and pull them out for breakfast throughout the week.
Appearance: I just love anything with fresh berries – they’re like little gems.
Pros: Easy twist on a parfait to make for a delicious breakfast. Plus I cut a lot of fat and sugar so you wouldn’t have to feel guilty for eating cupcakes for breakfast.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes!
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Breakfast Cheesecake Cupcakes are an easy twist on a parfait to make for a delicious morning. Slightly sweet, floral, and fresh.
I know what you’re thinking… cheesecake cupcakes for breakfast?? She’s lost it.
I assure you, I haven’t! These cupcakes are basically a twist on the standard and often boring parfait. They are comprised of a crunchy granola crust, low-fat cream cheese and yogurt filling, and topped with fresh berries. There’s not much sugar, either. See, can have your cake and eat it (for breakfast) too! The idea for these babies actually came to me when Jared and I went to Sedona a few weeks ago. I had a breakfast parfait that had a fantastic cinnamon granola layer. Our breakfast view was of some beautiful red rock mountains and as I ate my parfait the idea to turn it into a cheesecake cupcake popped into my head. My most popular post, much to my continued surprise, is for Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes. Sometimes I’ll think of fun twists on the cheesecake cupcake idea since you guys seem to love them so much. I think you’ll like this particular variation too – who wouldn’t want a breakfast cheesecake cupcake?!
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Ingredients
Cinnamon Granola Crust:
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds, walnuts, or pecans, or a combination
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon honey
Cheesecake Filling:
- 8 ounces Neufchâtel cheese (1/3-less fat cream cheese), at room temperature
- 7 ounces low-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Blueberries, sliced strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries for topping
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine all the crust ingredients. Divide the crust between the muffin cups, pressing down slightly to fill the bottom of each cup. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
For the filling:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor, combine the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, honey, vanilla, and zest until well combined. Add in the egg, egg white, and flour and beat or process until just combined. Do not overmix. Divide the batter between the muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is firm at the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack and let cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. The cupcakes can be store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Top with fresh berries before serving.
I also was wondering about calorie count
These are delicious. I just made some. I’m curious if you have a nutritional breakdown?
These look AMAZING! I can’t wait to try them. Do you think it would work with only greek yogurt? Hubby can’t eat cheese. :S
these look so good! but could you make the crust without any nuts ?
Oh my these look delicious! The granola crust is genius! My kids are going to love this breakfast..
Because of its name I was worried that the recipe would be something more like a sweet cheese omelet or danish in cupcake form, which would not interest me. Boy, am I glad I’m wrong … these look awesome!
Those pictures are absolutely stunning! Cheesecake is one of our favorite treats, and I love how you combined them with granola and berries and added a healthy twist! Wonderful. 🙂
How amazing idea! This seems really delicious and healthy. It’s absolutely appropriate to be a breakfast cupcake.
Oh, I’m so all over this!!! I’d love it with my morning tea, and one would definitely not be enough! Beautifully done!