Mascapone Panna Cotta

I am addicted to Pinterest.

Yes I said it but it is true LOL.

In my searches I have come across Panna Cotta. Never heard of it so I pinned a couple recipes and decided to give it a go over the weekend.

For this recipe I used - you guessed it Natvia - had to use my new pack that I received in the mail. LOL.

It actually is quite nice and I will certainly be making again if I want something quick to make. 

Panna Cotta with Mascapone

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon gelatin

1 Tbs water - for gelatin

250ml of cream

25g sugar (if using Natvia - 15g or 1 TBS)

1/3 cup Mascapone cheese

Directions:

Mix gelatin and water together and set aside.

In a pot heat and cream and sugar together and mix well until sugar is dissolved and cream is heated. Add gelatin and remove from heat. Let cream mix cool until warm (can't be hot) and mix mascapone in to cream mix until well combined. Put in to moulds, cups - whatever you are using and put in fridge for at least 5 hours. Gelatin should set the mix.

I made 5 really small serves of this so the whole family could try but you could do just two larger servings. 

Top with fresh fruit.

I am a regular

.....contributor to the Natvia Sweeter Life Club. 

If you have been wondering why I have been using so much Natvia lately this is why. I was stoked when I was asked and when I accepted I was sent this fabulous pack to continue to use this great sugar substitute which has a fraction of the calories. I must say that this product - unlike Splenda - taste almost exactly like real sugar. For me I always use less than what the recipes call for because it tastes so much sweeter. 

Yes I let my hubby take a photo of me which I hate but here it is.

Individual Peanut Butter Dessert two versions

In addition to cheesecake I love Peanut Butter anything - my favourite in Peanut Butter cookies as well as Malaysian Creamy Satay (packet mix) that calls for peanut butter. Alas though I have been indulging too much and have put on a bit of weight so I am now on a quest to lower the sugar or even get rid of sugar all together in my recipes/baking/cooking. 

So I found a recipe that is fully indulgent but really is too naughty as it has lots and lots of sugar - so when I made the first version with all the sugar that the universe contains (yes I am exaggerating - at half recipe) I found that the sugar high and resulting headache was too much to bear. So I had to change the recipe. Yep I changed it and you will see below the major differences.

Sugar Loaded Version

Individual Peanut Butter Dessert (naughty version half recipe)

Ingredients:

6 Digestive biscuits - blitzed in food processor

4-5 Tbs butter melted

1/2 cup whipping cream

125g Cream cheese (half block)

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 cup icing sugar 

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Method:

Mix biscuits and butter together and place in to 4 -6 individual glasses/cups and put in fridge to chill.

Whip cream until nice and thick. On medium speed beat the Cream cheese and Peanut Butter together until nice and smooth. Reduce speed and gradually add the icing sugar. Add condensed milk and vanilla and mix well. Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling and then fold the rest until just mixed. 

Put in fridge for a couple of house until set.

I whipped some more cream and put on top with some salted peanuts. 

Now you can see why I had the sugar overload.

I discovered Natvia a little while ago when I bought a book called "I Quit Sugar" by Sarah Wilson. It is a great substitute to real sugar and has nearly next to no calories in it which makes this a much better version of the dessert. 

Lower Cal Natvia Individual Peanut Butter Desserts

Lower Cal Natvia Individual Peanut Butter Desserts

Ingredients:

5 Oreo Cookies
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
125g Light Cream Cheese, room temp
1/2 cup light Peanut butter
1/2 cup light cream
150ml Greek Style Yoghurt
3 teaspoons Natvia
1/2 teaspoon gelatin
25ml water (to dissolve gelatin)

Recipe Method:
Place Oreo cookies in food processor until crumbs. Mix with melted butter and put a small amount in to six individual dessert bowls/cups. Place in the fridge to chill.

Whip 1 teaspoon of Natvia with cream just until slightly thick. You will find it does not whip properly like full fat cream.

Beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together until well combined. Add yoghurt, gelatin and 1 teaspoon Natvia. Mix well. Add the cream and fold in to mixture. Doesn’t have to be perfect. If not sweet enough for your liking, add another teaspoon of the Natvia.

Scoop out the mix in to the cups and refridgerate for a couple of hours.

Tips and Tricks:
If you want a fuller mix use full fat cream and fold in at the end when you add the light cream.

If you want even sweeter – just add more and more Natvia until to your liking.

To lower the calories don’t use the oreos – just place in the cups by itself.

Feeling naughty – Whip up some full fat cream with a teaspoon of Natvia for a more indulgent dessert.
These also taste awesome with salted peanuts.

This recipe actually tastes better the day after as it has the 'saltiness' of the peanut butter in it.

This recipe will be posted to The Sweeter Life Club soon so if you are looking for good recipes in Australia (or even overseas) take a look at the 'sweet' recipes they have to offer.