The first time I ever had Ricotta Cheese as a dessert was many, many years ago when the South Beach Diet was trending and I tried it for about six weeks. Long before I knew about things like nutritional biochemistry and the serious downfalls of fad dieting. Ricotta Cheese as a dessert is the only positive thing I took away from that fad-dieting experience.
If you follow me on Instagram, you might know that my toddler is underweight and I have been working on recipes to try and get more calories in him. He recently outgrew his dairy allergy but refuses to drink milk so I am always looking for ways to incorporate good sources of calcium in his diet. Kids typically like “dips” so I decided to try adding extra calories in that way. I was inspired by my Ricotta Cheesecake Dip to make a chocolate version. The actual recipe posted below is the “lighter” version, but I have included tips to modify if you are trying to increase calories as well.
Planning and preparing meals for my family has felt like a full-time job lately. I’m not complaining though, this is what I love to do. Everyone is at such a different stage with different needs. I try to prepare heart healthy foods my husband, calorie rich and allergen free for my toddler, trying to eat well-balanced for myself and the baby has recently started on pureed baby foods as we try early allergen introduction.
Why do I call this recipe “healthier”?
Because it is lower in fat, calories and added sugars than standard cheesecake dip recipes. Enjoy with strawberries to get in a serving of fresh fruit.
Healthier Chocolate Cheesecake Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Cream Cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar
- 3 ½ tsp. Cocoa Powder
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in bowl of food processor or mixer. Mix well until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.
Variations
To increase calories: Use Whole-Milk Ricotta in place of Part-Skim Ricotta. Use full-fat cream cheese.
Diabetic Friendly: Use favorite artificial sweetener in place of powdered sugar. Ricotta Cheese can be a diabetic-friendly dessert, one ¼ cup serving contains just 3 grams of Total Carbohydrates.
Serve the Chocolate Cheesecake Dip with sliced strawberries, raspberries, graham crackers or simply by itself for a sweet treat. My personal favorite is to enjoy this with strawberries. Enjoy!
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