Patriotic Red Velvet Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

I loved the way the liners were dyed from the Red Velvet and blueberries. They have this cool tie-dye effect that's very patriotic!

With the fourth of July falling midweek this year, people celebrated earlier or later than usual and I was no exception. I chose the early route because the sooner I can get a day off always seems to be better these days. I opted to travel to my hometown to spend time with my family and get out of my work-in-progress house for a bit. Things are coming along quite nicely with the remodel though, as I can now access everything I need to cook. There are still a couple of last steps left for it to be camera ready, so stay tuned! 

It was good as usual to see my family, but it had been way too long since I'd seen my sweet nephew. He was so much bigger than he was just a short month ago! I try to spend as much time as possible with him because he changes so much every time I see him. We enjoyed a little time in the pool and he seemed to like kicking around in his little baby float. Due to the kitchen remodel, we had to head home earlier than expected, so unfortunately, I didn't actually make these goodies until I was back at home.

Making too many of these sweets without having enough people to unload them on is a dangerous thing in our house. I have eaten one almost everyday since the fourth...yikes! It's really showing now too, so I may just have to implement a limit of one baked good per week. :(

Red Velvet Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcake Recipe

Let me start by admitting that I used a boxed Red Velvet Cake mix...oh, the shame! Well I'm not exactly a professional baker as you know, and I haven't experimented much with red velvet yet. I thought of this combination kinda last minute too, so I didn't have all day to get it right. Anyways, if you have a great red velvet recipe, definitely use that instead of the box mix, but they are still pretty darn good!

1 box of your choice of Red Velvet Cake, mix with ingredients as instructed.
24 vanilla wafers or graham crackers cutout with round cookie cutter to fit in baking cups

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt (I used Oikos)
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup blueberries

Heat oven to 350°. Line cupcake tin with liners. Place a vanilla wafer or small graham cracker cutout at the bottom of each liner.

Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, and flour. Do not over beat. Gently fold in the fresh blueberries and scoop mixture into cupcake liners filling about one third of the liners. Smooth the mixture to provide a somewhat level surface for the next layer.

Now, scoop a layer of red velvet mix over the cheesecake mixture. Fill liners a little over 2/3 full and bake about 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool on cooling rack for about 15 minutes then transfer to fridge. Chill for at least an hour before frosting.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. heavy cream

1 cup blueberries for garnish

Combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar a little at a time until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Be sure to taste the frosting as you add the sugar to ensure it does not become too sweet for your taste. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired and top with fresh blueberries.

A Sweet Memorial Day Treat

My brother is an EMT and recently he had to go on a pretty scary unofficial call when my grandma got sick and passed out in his arms. Since he's very good at what he does, he just got to work and took care of the matter at hand, so she got proper care in time and is doing well today. But, this gave me a whole new respect for how brave some people really have to be in their everyday jobs when it comes to the responsibility of protecting & serving people of our country. I know for sure that I am not capable of contributing to society in this way, so thankfully I have a few other gifts to share. Thank God for our men and women of the military, public servants and their strong families. This fresh and easy dessert would be a great way to show appreciation for the heroes in your lives this holiday weekend.

My version of the Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Yogurt Cupcakes I saw on Pinterest from wwww.Skinnytaste.com.

This fresh little dessert is perfect for summer celebrations.

See the little Nilla cookie as the crust.

Happy Memorial Day! Thank God for all the people who serve our country at home & abroad.

Red, White and Blueberry Cheesecake Cupcakes
 Recipe adapted from: Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 98 • Fat: 4.3 g • Protein: 3.6 g • Carb: 10.5 g • Fiber: 0.3 g • Sugar: 7.6 g
Sodium: 29.5 mg
(Not including whipped cream topping.)

Cheesecakes:

• 12 reduced fat vanilla wafers or graham crackers trimmed down to fit in baking cups
• 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt (I used Oikos)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tbsp all purpose flour
• 8 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced thin
• 8 oz blueberries

Whipped Cream Topping:

• 8 oz heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cup confection sugar
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract 

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°.

Line cupcake tin with liners. Place a vanilla wafer or small graham cracker  at the bottom of each liner.

Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, and flour. Do not over beat. Pour into cupcake liners filling half way.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature then chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

For topping, place stainless steel bowl & mixer attachments in the freezer for about 10 minutes while you clean and cut fruit. Take the heavy cream and use the cold bowl to whip the cream with a whisk in standing or handheld mixer. Just as it starts to get thick, slowly add the sugar and vanilla extract until cream gets stiff. Take care not to over-beat the cream as it quickly goes from smooth to curdy. Like mine, even if it doesn't turn out smooth it should still taste pretty good. Place whipped cream in a plastic piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes. Arrange berries on freshly applied whipped cream using the design I used or get creative with your own. You could also use any other fruit to top these cheesecakes like peaches, cherries or bananas. They would actually be pretty good anytime of the year.