I wanted to write about Corsica, I wanted to put the new fish recipes online, I wanted to show my pomegranate infused kohlrabi slices….. but I have just been too busy or on the road… grrrrr… it would just have to wait!

But then, this weekend I got unbelievably lucky!

We all battle our weight in my little family but we also adore eating (could there be a connection, dahhh??) and in a weak moment several weeks ago, I broke one of the golden rules and bought a glass of Nutella.

And, after having scratched the itch by dousing my favorite baguette with it shortly after my purchase (like 10 minutes), it has been sitting accusatorily on the counter in the kitchen daring me!

And what better way to dispose of it then to turn it into a decadent dessert and not just any decadent dessert cake no, no not for yum and more, no I had to combine it with cheesecake. If your going to do it, go the whole hog!
So I looked up and read, and googled and browsed, and then I found 2 recipes I liked:

http://themoonlightbaker.com/2011/03/04/nutella-cheesecake-layer-bars/

and

http://www.bigcitylittlekitchen.com/2008/01/29/nutella-swirl-cheesecake/

then I mixed, changed and combined their ingredients and instructions with love and determination to create in my own oven these:

Scrumptious Nutella Cheesecake Bites

This makes a large rectangular pan of Nutella cheesecake that cuts into about 30 scrumptious bites
Ingredients:
Crust:

• 100 grams of melted butter
• 200 grams of whole wheat biscuits/cookies, roughly crumbled
• 50 grams of whole hazelnuts
• 2 TBSPs of fat and sugar free cocoa powder
  Cheesecake:

• 600 grams / 3 packages cream cheese (normal, low-fat, lactose-free or your choice)
• 3 M-L eggs
• 60 ml/¼ cup whipping/heavy cream plus 2 TBSPs extra
• ½ cup of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp of chili flakes (optional)
• 200 grams / 2/3 cup of Nutella

Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F

Butter rectangular cake pan. Place parchment paper in the pan making sure in has smooth corners.

Place biscuits/cookies and hazelnuts in the food processor and pulse until refined but not powder. Add the melted butter and pulse a few times to mix.

Pour crumbs into parchment lined pan and spread out and into corners to make an even layer. Place into the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and place aside to cool.

In the meantime, clean the food processor, or use a large mixing bowl and a electric beater or whisk; add the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, chili flakes and cream. Mix thoroughly.

Pour 2/3 of the dough carefully over the baked crust. Smooth out evenly trying not to disturb the crumb crust.

Now add the Nutella and the 2 TBSPs of cream. Mix until entirely combined.

Pour the Nutella batter over the previous cheesecake batter, making swirls as you go along.

Bake for 35 minutes, then turn off the oven without opening the door and let the cake rest an additional 5-10 minutes – testing after 5 minutes whether the top is set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting. Use the parchment to remove it from the pan. Could into bite size pieces or chunks of a size you prefer.

Keep leftover bites on a cookie tin in the fridge if you haven any left.

P.S. These share great too!