Very Berry Americana Cheesecake Bites

Memorial day is approaching fast here in the United States and that means one thing for most people -- sweet treats and bbqs! (For me, though, it really signals it's time to plant the veggie garden.) I love baking sweet treats for patriotic holidays using red, white and blue-themed ingredients, so I decided to try my hand at a gluten-free and sugar-free cheesecake bite that is loaded with fresh strawberries, blueberries and cream cheese. (If you're not into sugar-free desserts, it's super easy to make this unsugar-free -- just replace the sweetener with sugar and the all fruit preserves with sugar-added preserves.)

The crust on these tasty bars use the same method I used for my Fakeout Peanut Butter Cups, but instead of walnuts, I used pecans and omitted the cocoa powder. It makes for an absolutely delicious crust -- seriously, graham cracker crusts don't even compare!

Very Berry Americana Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 3/4 cups pecans
1 1/2 cups dates
1 tablespoon xylitol or sweetener of your choice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, solid (you can also use butter if you prefer)
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the filling:

8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 egg
3 tablespoons xylitol or sweetener of your choice
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 ounce jar all fruit no sugar added strawberry preserves (you can use regular preserves if you prefer)

1/2 cup strawberries, sliced thinly

1/2 cup blueberries

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper leaving a little overhand to act as handles. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, chop pecans. Add the dates and process again. Add the rest of the crust ingredients and process until incorporated.

Press crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling and slice the strawberries.

Spread the all fruit strawberry preserves over the crust. Layer the strawberries and blueberries over the preserves.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix cream cheese with a hand held mixer until creamy. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Add the sweetener, lemon juice and vanilla and mix until combined. Pour over the fruit and spread evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the cream cheese layer puffs up slightly and is pretty firm. Allow to cool and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Slice and enjoy!

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