Low Carb Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake (with monk fruit sweetener)

Peanut butter and Chocolate No Bake Low Carb Cheesecake!! Clearly that is too long for a title! But this stuff is good! (So good in fact, that I cannot keep my kids/teenagers out of it! They don’t even care that it’s “diet,” which is a bummer for me.) It is made with all natural monk fruit sweetener that does not raise blood sugar (non-glycemic), and a flourless, crushed almond crust!

I have been working on this recipe for about a week now. I have made it several times, tweaking it here and there to get it just how I want it.

The Struggle is Real

Off and on, over the years, I have adopted a low carbohydrate diet- cutting out sugar and simple carbohydrates. I have a difficult time sticking with it, because… well, I just really love carbs! I also have an incurable sweet tooth. Having a delicious dessert that I can eat without guilt and sugar is invaluable to my success! I have recently been inspired to get back on the wagon for these three reasons:

1. After our house fire a few weeks back, I have found myself doing quite a bit of what one might call “stress eating”, but I’m gonna call it “faith eating” because I know God’s got this! Ha! I knew I was likely gaining some weight, and then…
2. I stepped on the scales and they laughed at me! There is a slight chance that the laughter actually came from the kids in the other room. But I find that wildly unlikely, because the laughter erupted at the exact moment that I stepped on the scales and a number which I hope never to see again appeared on the digital display.
3. I have also been struggling with some sort of skin rash on my face, which my incredibly wise friend Jessica tells me will most likely clear up if I lay off the sugar and carbs! So fine!! Here I go.

Anyway, I really, really, really need something I can eat, that feels like an indulgence, without ruining my diet! So this recipe is born of that need!

Now I should mention, if it is not already apparent, that I am NOT a health nut, I mean expert. I am simply a mom who has given birth to 15 babies. And while I am absolutely thrilled about that, I am far less thrilled about LOOKING like a mom who has had 15 babies. (That being said, the moms I know with lots of babies are beautiful! None of them look like they have had lots of babies!)

But enough of my blabbering, let’s talk about Monk Fruit Sweetener!

Monk Fruit Sweetener

Monk Fruit has been used in Chinese Medicine for centuries, but has recently been becoming more popular for the rest of the world. Monk fruit extract is extremely sweet. However, it’s sweetness comes from mogrosides instead of glucose. Mogrosides have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In mice studies, mogrosides have been shown to have anticancer and antidiabetic properties. They inhibit cancer cell growth and increase insulin production. I am in favor of all of that!

Pure monk fruit extract is so sweet, that a tiny pinch sweetens as much as a teaspoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of monk fruit extract equals 2/3 to 3/4 cup of sugar in sweetness. So recipe conversion, it’s a little tricky to replace the bulk or mass of the sugar. The monk fruit sweetener blends are helpful in baking/cooking because they measure much more like sugar.

I used Lakanto Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener which you can buy below. The monk fruit extract is blended with erythritol, also a natural zero calorie sweetener. For some reason, Amazon only seems to have a two pack available right now. There are other varieties that have a 1:1 sugar replacement, but I used the 2:1, meaning that it is 2 times sweeter than sugar and therefore you use half as much.

Here is a 1:1 version, which would measure cup for cup like confectioners sugar:

This is the classic sugar replacement. So not powdered, it’s more like granulated sugar replacement:

If you are looking for PURE monkfruit extract, not blended with erythritol for baking and recipe replacement, I’ve got a link for that too. Be very careful with this stuff, though. It does NOT measure like sugar. 1/64th of a teaspoon equals 1 teaspoon of sugar for sweetness. You only need a tiny pinch in your coffee or tea! This bag contains about a three hundred servings!

It has zero calories, zero aftertaste, and it is zero glycemic which means it has no impact on blood sugar. It is non GMO.

I also tried Classic granulated variety in this recipe. It tasted fine, but I didn’t care for the grainy texture, and the powdered version solved that problem.

Okay, yes, I am aware… the stuff isn’t cheap. But for me, it’s worth it! It doesn’t taste like other fake sweeteners to me. And If I can’t stay on the straight and narrow, one of these days my kids will have to roll me around the house. I have a sneaking suspicion that diabetes could be in my future. I REFUSE to go there willingly.

Now some of you health nuts, I mean experts, will say… “Just give up sweets altogether! Just teach your body to live without it.” Mmm Hmm… please don’t say that to me. I don’t need that kind of toxic negativity in my life!

The Crust

For me, a cheesecake has got to have a crust! For this crust, grind up 1 cup of almonds in the blender. (Crush an extra 1/3 cup of almonds and reserve for later.) Combine the 1 cup of crushed almonds with 1/4 cup of butter, melted. (Half a stick.) Then press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate or a spring form pan and place in the freezer to chill while you prepare the filling.

The Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling

Combine 16 oz. of cream cheese with 1 and 1/2 cups of powdered monkfruit sweetener and 3/4 cup of peanut butter. Yep, just the regular creamy stuff. Beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated and fluffy.

Pull the crust out of the freezer and spread the filling on top. You want a nice even, flat top.

The Chocolate Shell

Next, place two ounces of unsweetened chocolate in a glass microwave safe container, along with 4 teaspoons of olive or canola oil. Microwave for 1 minute. Mix well with a fork. Then stir in 2 Tablespoons of the monkfruit sweetener until well dissolved.

While the mixture is still hot, pour onto the top of the pie. You can use a spoon to carefully spread it around until the whole thing is covered.

Return to the refrigerator for at least a couple hours. As the chocolate cools, it will form a shell on top. Several hours (or over night) is even better, because the colder it gets, the easier it is to slice and serve. It’s just… sometimes I can’t wait that long…

Slice into 8 servings. Top with whipped cream and the reserved crushed almonds on top! I’m telling you, it’s the way to go!

Each serving has approximately 5 to 6 grams of net carbohydrates. The ones listed on the package of the monkfruit sweetener do not count, they are non glycemic! Also, always subtract grams of dietary fiber from grams of carbohydrates to get net carbs. Fiber cancels out the blood sugar impact of carbohydrates.

I hope you like this as much as we do! Enjoy!