Better than Cheesecake

We have approximately 20 Ramekins. Really there is no need for so many. We are not a restaurant. We do not have 18 kids. But I love ramekins. I buy them because they are cute-they come in so many fun colors, because they are functional-bake, freeze, dishwasher, and because they come in a variety of sizes-specificallyserving size. This helps me a lot.

During grad school I had a roommate who did not understand my (ir)rational love for ramekins. I had only 2 that I kept from storage for daily use.  I would use them one day and then suddenly the next day. Gone! I would look everywhere and ask everyone in the house. "Have you seen my ramekin?" "Have you seen my ramekin?" Seriously. How does a ramekin disappear?!  Time would go by and I would be looking for something else, an obscure spice or a strange cooking tool and there behind or buried beneath other cooking items, I would spot my ramekin!! Such joy! Months and months went on like this. Until one day while I was watching food network with a roomie-a show featuring ramekins- and she she suddenly exclaimed in a rather surprised tone "Thats a ramekin?! That's what you're always asking about?!"

Ummmm YES!!!!

She never knew. Always when I asked, she never knew and never thought to ask me to explain. They looked small and toylike to her so when emptying the dishwasher she simply put them in the most out of the way place she could find,  which inevitably varied according to mood and season.

One of life's great mysteries. Solved.

Today I have a cabinet just for ramekins and I can use six or ten at a time, storing things for later.

 >Cheesecake is an adaptation of an earlier recipe featured in Red White & Blueberry

I make this all the time. It is so so good, really hits the spot when I want a treat, stays good in the fridge for about 3 days and has about the same amount of sugar as a yogurt with way more protein and much enjoyment.


We coach 2 Lacrosse teams and are always looking for new and delicious forms of protein. At some point protein bars and peanut butter lose their appeal. So I had to come up with something better.

This makes about 6 servings. I find that it works better when I cook it in ramekins or individual servings. You could even cook it in a lined cup cake tin or mason jars.  I know those are all the rage right now ;)


Preheat oven to 300*

Note: I have a convection oven so you may need to adjust temp and or times.

All into the Blender:

1 Large container Cottage Cheese
2 Egg Whites + 1 Whole Egg

Blend baby blend!!! Keep going until you have a smooth creamy consistency. Trust me Cottage cheese does not have to be chunky.

Once you have a semi creamy concoction add in:

1t Vanilla
1/4 C to 1/2C Brown Sugar depending on how sweet you like things. I am 1/4 cupper.

Blend to combine.

For a slightly richer taste you can add about 2 oz of cream cheese or 1/4 of a stick.

Once well blended pour evenly among 6 ramekin/mason jar/cupcake tins. Sometimes I use a spray to grease the surface sometimes I don't. Seems about the same to me. This is an eat with a spoon kind of treat so it will not pop out of a cupcake tin.

Bake for about 18 minutes depending on size of cooking dish.
I use the ramekins shown and put all of them on 1 an edged cookie sheet to bake.

They will rise around the edges and be just barely still liquidy in the middle.
Cool in fridge.

Store with lid for up to 3 days. They will probably be gone before that though.

I sometimes use a mason jar so I can lid em and pack them in lunches or take them as snacks. Spoon Required*

Remix

Add in anything else you find to be delicious. 

I have tried nutella, fruit, coconut, jam, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. Not altogether of course. 

A note on Nutella: Adding enough Nutella to spread the flavor throughout requires lots of it and nullifies the whole healthful component so instead I fill each of the containers most of the way full and leave about 1 serving in the blender. I then add a heaping spoonful of nutella about 2T, blend this and then pour a bit of the nutella mix into each of the ramekins and marble it in with a fork/knife. This way you get rich nutella flavor without adding a ton of sugar, calories and fat.  

Despite all these delicious mix-in options my absolute favorite way to enjoy this treat is with fresh blueberries. It will change your life. 

Doesn't that just look so good.