Saturday, June 9, 2018

Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

These vegan raspberry cheesecake bars will make all you dreams come true! They’re creamy, delicious, and loaded with swirls of raspberry goodness! So a lot of people have been asking me to post a healthy version of a cheesecake. Well, here it is!

I present to you my completely raw vegan raspberry cheesecake bars complete with a scrumptious cinnamon pecan crust. These bars can be eaten frozen for a more “ice cream” type of texture, or thawed for a softer texture.

The trick to these vegan raspberry cheesecake bars to achieve that cheesy texture is soaked cashews!

I’ve been seeing so many recipes using soaked cashews and finally, I decided to give it a try, and I do not regret it! It’s best to prepare your cashews soaked overnight, but if you forgot, don’t worry!

You can do a “quicky” soak by placing your cashews in boiling water for 1-2 hours.


Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 3/4 cup oats
  • 1 cup medjool dates
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

Filling:

  • 1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked overnight then drained
  • 1 can full-fat coconut cream
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Raspberry swirl:
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:


  1. Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a food processor, blend the pecans, oats, dates, and salt until it forms a dough. You should be able to press the dough together with your fingertips. If it is too dry, add a small spoon of water.
  3. Press the dough down into your pan, until it coats the entire bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the freezer while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
  4. Place the cashews in a food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
  5. Place your coconut cream in a mixer, and blend until it forms a fluffy whip cream texture. Make sure to just scrape the cream off the top of the can, and not the remaining liquid on the bottom. It should be a thick texture.
  6. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and continue to whip until incorporated.
  7. Pour your blended cashews into the coconut whip and gently mix together with a spatula or spoon.
  8. Pour the mixture into your pan.
  9. Place your raspberries and maple syrup in a food processor and blend. Spoon the mixture into the pan on top of the cheesecake layer.
  10. Using a sharp knife, begin to make swirls, or “figure eights” into the raspberry layer to achieve that swirly look.
  11. Place your vegan raspberry cheesecake bars into the freezer to firm up for 2-3 hours.
  12. When ready to serve, remove from pan, cut into squares, and serve!