Thursday, May 31, 2007

Black-Bottom Cheesecake Cups

adapted from Cooking Light

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup Splenda Granular
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
3.9-4 oz. container unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 package (8-ounce) nonfat cream cheese, softened
½ cup sifted powdered sugar
1 egg
Vegetable cooking spray
½ cup semisweet chocolate morsels
¼ cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine water, prune butter, vinegar, and vanilla; stir well. Add to dry ingredients, stirring with a wire whisk until blended; set chocolate batter aside.
Beat cream cheese in a bowl at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar and egg, and beat until well-blended; set cream cheese mixture aside.

Coat 18 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Divide chocolate batter evenly among cups; spoon cream cheese mixture evenly on top of chocolate batter in each cup. Sprinkle chocolate morsels and almonds over cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.