32 Rich, but Healthy, Cream Cheese Desserts

October 13, 2020

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Take your desserts to the next level with these recipes using cream cheese. Whether it’s in the batter or part of the frosting, cream cheese adds a rich texture to any dessert. Plus, any extra cream cheese you don’t use can easily be used on a bagel or toast. Recipes like Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel and Cinnamon Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting are delicious, creamy and perfect for any sweet tooth.

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Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Streusel

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This riff on the Thanksgiving favorite combines a traditional pumpkin pie filling with swirls of sweetened cream cheese. And since it's only Thanksgiving once a year, we've topped it all off with a buttery spiced-pecan topping. This easy pie recipe will please anyone at your table this holiday.

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Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

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This light and tangy lemon meringue cheesecake gets tons of citrus flavor from lemon juice and zest, as well as a layer of lemon curd between the cake and the fluffy meringue topping. It would be the perfect dessert for any spring or summer party, though we'd happily eat this treat year-round.

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Cinnamon Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Here we take all the warm, delicious flavors of cinnamon buns and roll them into a cake smothered with a sweet cream cheese frosting. It's best enjoyed fresh out of the oven.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

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Indulge your PSL obsession with these pumpkin spice cookies. Instant espresso powder gives these soft, cakey cookies a subtle yet recognizable coffee flavor. Spread with cream cheese frosting (with more pumpkin pie spice flavors) and sprinkle with cinnamon to finish. And, go ahead, drink a pumpkin spice latte while you eat them for the full PSL experience. After all, it's only fall for so long (though we'd eat these cookies year-round). To make these cookies kid-friendly, simply omit the espresso powder.

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Strawberry-Banana Bread

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Give classic banana bread a sweet twist with the addition of juicy strawberries. The combination of the fruits turns this simple quick bread into a bright, sweet breakfast bread, snack or dessert. For an extra-decadent treat, serve each slice with a scoop of sliced strawberries.

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Pumpkin-Coconut Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche Glaze

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This sumptuous pumpkin-coconut cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and a caramelly topping is adapted from a recipe that chef Leticia Moreinos Schwartz, author of the cookbook Latin Superfoods, developed for her family's Thanksgiving dinner. The combination of coconut and pumpkin is a flavor profile that nods to Moreinos Schwartz's childhood in Brazil. We've cut down on the sugar and the calories in a traditional cheesecake for this version of the treat but left all of the flavor and silky texture of the original.

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Cherry Cheesecake Cobbler

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Classic cherry cobbler is studded with a sweetened cream cheese swirl in this easy cherry dessert you can make any time of year.

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Pumpkin Spice Bread

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This pumpkin spice bread recipe is a snap to pull together. Pumpkin puree and maple syrup add sweetness to help cut down the amount of added sugar while ensuring this healthy loaf stays moist and tender. This easy quick bread is finished off with a sweetened cream cheese spread over the top to complement the spices.

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Carrot Cake with Candied Carrot Curls

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Our 30th anniversary deserved a cake, and what cake better represents EatingWell than one with vegetables? While many homemade carrot cakes include pineapple in the batter, we made a jammy filling with it instead to tuck between the layers.

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Dark Chocolate Truffles

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Ready in under 30 minutes, this truffle recipe is easy to make and you'll love the different coating options!

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Peaches & Cream Mini Muffins

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Mini muffins are perfect for grab-and-go snacking. Try this recipe with fruity peaches and cream cheese chunks--they bake up in just 35 minutes and are perfect for sharing with family, friends, and coworkers!

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Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake

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This easy slow-cooker pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap-and-walnut crust is full of all your favorite fall flavors. Cooking dessert in the slow cooker frees up oven space, making this healthy dessert perfect for entertaining. It might just bump your regular old pumpkin pie off the Thanksgiving menu. To make this recipe gluten-free, swap out the regular gingersnap cookies for gluten-free gingersnaps.

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Coffee 'n' Cream Biscotti

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These sweet Italian cookies will be perfect with your afternoon or evening coffee. Each coffee-flavored biscotti is covered in melted chocolate and will practically melt in your mouth.

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No-Bake Berry Cheesecake Bars

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As if no-bake weren't tempting enough, consider that the graham cracker crust for these berry cheesecake bars has pecans in it. Ooh la la! In the filling, nonfat Greek yogurt and reduced-fat cream cheese cut the calories and saturated fat.

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Yogurt-Fruit Parfaits

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This yogurt parfait makes a great snack for after school but it's also a nice healthy dessert choice for after dinner. It's light, fresh, and full of fruit, and you'll love the contrast of crunchy toasted nuts in each spoonful.

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Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes

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These moist and delicious cupcakes take on a hint of the tropics thanks to pineapple and coconut. Traditional cream cheese frosting is usually made with regular cream cheese and butter. This version is lightened up by substituting a combination of reduced-fat cream cheese and low-fat Greek yogurt.

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Cinnamon Swirl Bread with Cream Cheese

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Smell the cinnamon and taste the sweetness! Toast cinnamon swirl bread, and top with reduced-fat cream cheese and honey for a sweet breakfast with a little crunch.

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Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

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This decadent, moist cake features a creamy pumpkin-spiced custard atop a shortbread-like crust. The cake mix is a convenient shortcut for making the buttery crust. Serve with whipped cream.

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Healthier Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Deliciously warm spiced cake layers are rolled together with slightly tangy cream cheese frosting. This pumpkin jelly roll tastes decadent, but each serving is under 200 calories and has less than 20 grams of sugar. Don't be intimidated by this jelly roll--so long as you work quickly while the cake is warm, it's hard to mess it up or crack the cake.

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Ricotta Cheesecake with Apple Topper

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Light ricotta cheese and reduced-fat cream cheese help make this creamy dessert a smart choice for a diabetic meal plan. The scrumptious cooked apple topping has a touch of sweet honey and apple pie spice.

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Apricot Pie

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Apricots signal the start of the stone-fruit season. Here they're tossed with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of nutmeg, which highlights their flavor. You can also make this easy pie recipe with nectarines or peaches.

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Ginger-Pineapple Mini Cheesecakes

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Topped with crystallized ginger, these mini, pineapple-flavored cheesecakes are to die for. They're made with a blend of Greek yogurt and reduced-fat cream cheese and have a crunchy, gingersnap cookie crust.

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Jasmine Tea Cookies

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Jasmine tea is a green tea that's been scented with jasmine flowers. It lends extraordinary flavor to these tender morsels.

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Strawberry-Orange Surprise Cupcakes

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These buttermilk cupcakes look like the ones you can now buy at fancy cupcake shops, but are easily made at home. The cream cheese frosting is decadently delicious, and so are the cupcakes--take a bite and you'll find a surprise filling of strawberries and orange marmalade inside each one!

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Mini Maple Pecan Pies

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If pecan pie is a thanksgiving "must" at your house, there's no need to skip the tradition because you're on a diabetic meal plan. These mini pies with only 19 carbs per serving let you enjoy the festive treat without a second thought.

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Raspberry-Lemon Cheesecake Bars

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Cooks tend to bring their most diet-undoing desserts to the potluck table. Why not offer these creamy bars and treat diners to something more healthful they can enjoy?

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Sweet Potato Spice Cake with Orange-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

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Reminiscent of carrot cake, this healthy treat features grated sweet potato baked into a spiced batter and topped with cream-cheese frosting. The whole-wheat pastry flour gives the cake a very light texture. If you can't find it, substitute half all-purpose flour and half white whole-wheat flour.

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Hazelnut Crusted Mascarpone Cheesecake

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This elegant dessert is a real crowd pleaser! Made with a blend of fat-free cream cheese and mascarpone, this decadent cheesecake sits atop a graham cracker and hazelnut crust. For extra taste and presentation points, drizzle with melted chocolate and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

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Clementine-Clove Snowballs

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These festive and sophisticated snowball dessert treats--somewhat similar to cake pops in texture--are made with a blend of angel food cake, reduced-fat cream cheese and yogurt. They're frosted with creamy dessert topping and a dusting of cocoa powder and will be a great addition to your holiday dessert table.

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Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

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A great dessert option for your next holiday party, these sweet cheesecake bars have an oat crust and a cranberry-orange sauce that's swirled on top and baked right in.

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Chocolate-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

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Not just for breakfast, granola adds a nice crunch to the top of these chocolate cupcakes.

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Vanilla Trifle with Champagne-Soaked Fruit

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What could be more elegant than champagne-soaked trifle made with real vanilla beans? Impress your guests with this easy-to-make dessert.

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