This recipe combines 2 of my very favorite things: cheesecake and snickerdoodles. These are wonderful on their own, but are out of this world when you pair them with a big cup of coffee.

What you need:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake layer:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Snickerdoodle layer:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to make it:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper.

3. Combine all of the crust ingredients (except butter) in a food processor and process until the mixture is broken down into fine crumbs. Add the butter, and process until mixed.

4. Firmly press the crust mixture into the bottom of the baking dish.

5. Let's make the cheesecake filling. Beat all of the ingredients for the cheesecake filling in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until fluffy. Pour this mixture over the crust and spread it out evenly using a spoon.

6. Now for the cookie layer. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in vanilla and egg, and beat until mixed well. Stir in the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Very gently spread the cookie mixture over the cheesecake mixture.

7. Sprinkle the top with the topping ingredients.

8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cookie layer is golden brown. The center may still jiggle a bit, but don't worry. It will firm up once it has cooled.

9. Let the bars cool completely, then refrigerate overnight so it has a chance to firm up.

10. Cut into squares and serve!

This low carb banana cream mousse recipe is a play off of my popular low carb cheesecake mousse recipe, which can be found HERE. This mousse is light, airy, and has a delicate banana flavor.

I've gotten a few questions regarding the carb count in this recipe, so I will try to break it down to show you how you can figure up the amount of carbs, no matter what size box of pudding mix you use.

I would also like to say that since I have been a Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Sports Nutritionist for several years now, I have learned a few sneaky tricks food manufacturers pull. A single serving of heavy whipping cream contains little to no carbohydrates; HOWEVER, if you are using a large amount (such as in this recipe), there are definitely carbohydrates in there. A food only has to contain a certain percentage of carbohydrates for it to be listed as such on the package. Whereas the package claims that a single serving of whipping cream contains no carbohydrates, a large amount of it most certainly does.

Let's assume you are using a 1 ounce box. LOOK AT THE NUTRITIONAL LABEL. It states that the box contains 4 servings, at 6 carbohydrates for each serving. 

I stated to use heavy whipping cream in place of the milk. For a 1 ounce box, you are supposed to use 2 cups of cold milk. Substitute heavy whipping cream in place of the milk. Now, how many carbs are in 2 cups of heavy whipping cream? There are 6.6 carbs in 1 cup. So, for 2 cups, there would be roughly 13.

Add 13 carbs from the cream to the 24 for the WHOLE BOX of pudding. You now have a total of 37 carbs for the ENTIRE recipe. Remember, there are 4 servings of pudding per box. Divide the 37 total grams by 4 servings, and you get what? 9.25 carbs per serving.

Now. Carry on with the yumminess that follows...............

What you need:
1 box of Jello sugar-free banana cream pudding (any size)
heavy whipping cream (Make sure to use heavy WHIPPING cream. Not just heavy cream.)

How to make it:
1. Read the instructions on the box of pudding mix to see how much milk it calls for. Use that same amount of heavy whipping cream. If the box calls for 1 cup of milk, simply measure out 1 cup of cream.

2. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a bowl, then add the pudding mix. Mix with a hand mixer until it is thick and creamy. You can also make this in a blender or food processor.

3. Scoop into a dish and serve.

You may garnish this with a slice of banana, but that will increase the carb count slightly.

With all of the sugary desserts on the 4th of July dinner table, it's important to make sure there is also a selection of fresh fruit available. These skewers are so festive, and are a huge hit with children.

What you need:
a star-shaped cookie cutter
a handful of wooden skewers
a watermelon
blueberries

How to make it:
This is so simple. Simply cut 1/2 inch thick slices of watermelon, and then cut out star shapes using the cookie cutter. Insert the skewer through a few blueberries, then a watermelon star, more berries, then top with a star.