Frozen cheesecake final product   Photo D

No Bake, no flour, no sugar,  no butter – Vegan – and yet totally delicious frozen cheesecakes. I’ve made these a few times already and they are a hit for all ages, vegan or not ...

It’s a healthy easy dessert that everyone loves.

Ingredients

Base

1 cup packed (200 g) pitted dates*

1 cup (110 g) almond flour OR

1 full cup (130g) raw pecans/whitened

    almonds

1 pinch of salt

Cashew Coconut Filling

1½ cups (180 g) raw cashews, quick

    soaked*

1 medium lemon, juiced 

   (about 35-40 ml)

1⁄3 cup minus 2 tablespoons

   (70g) coconut oil, melted

½ cup + 3 tbsp (160 ml) full fat

   coconut cream (Important: place can

   in fridge the night before so the

   cream separates from the liquid and

   use only the cream)

½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup

Flavors

These are ideas but go crazy:

2 heaped tbsp (40g) natural peanut butter or lotus cream (lotus not vegan and has sugar but works amazing)

Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Blended raspberries or strawberries

Other ideas: chocolate spread, chocolate chips, canned pineapple chunks, mango puree.

            Photo A                                 Photo B                           photo C

Method

1. Add dates to a food processor and blend until it forms a ball. If the ball looks chucky, break apart and give another whirl. Remove and set aside.     

2. Add pecans and process until fine. (If using almond flour you can skip this and add the flour to the dates and blend) Then add dates back in along with the salt and blend until loose dough forms – it should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. If it's too dry, add a few more dates through the spout while processing. If too wet, add more almond meal or crushed pecans.

3. Lightly grease a standard, 12 slot muffin tin. You can use a silicone mold as well.  To make removing the cheesecakes easier, cut strips of parchment paper and lay them in the slots. This creates little tabs that make removing them easier to pop out once frozen.                                             

4. Place a heaped tablespoon of the base dough and press down with your fingers. You can use a small glass or the back of a spoon to compact it and really press it down. Set in freezer while you make the cashew coconut filling.

5. Add all filling ingredients to a blender and mix until very smooth. It is important to use the cream part of the coconut cream or the final filling may be a bit “watery”.

6. If you have a liquefy or puree setting on your blender then great, if not it may take a few more minutes. I use a one setting simple blender and let it mix for about 5-7 minutes until creamy. If it’s too grainy add another tablespoon of coconut cream.

7. If the flavor you chose is peanut butter or lotus (or chocolate spread), add to the blender now and mix until thoroughly combined. If you’re going with berries or chocolate chips or anything mixed in, wait and mix in after you’ve poured in the filling.

8. Divide filling evenly among the muffin tins. Tap a few times to release air bubbles; this is where you add blueberries, purified raspberries or any other topping you like. I also decorated the peanut butter ones with a few nuts.

9. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until hard – about 4-6 hours.

10. Once set, remove by tugging on the tabs or loosening them with a butter knife. If they don’t come out easily, use a warm damp towel on the bottom of the tin. Keep in the freezer for up to 1-2 weeks.

Notes

*To quick soak cashews, pour boiling hot water over the cashews, soak for 1 hour uncovered, then drain and use as instructed.

* You can set the cheesecakes out for a few minutes before serving to soften them, but they were a hit frozen as well.