For the dairy-free people in your life, cashew "cheesecake" is about as close as it gets to the real thing. Creamy and slightly tart, these little guys can be made ahead and stored in the freezer until you are ready to use them, simply thaw either a few hours in the fridge or about 1/2 hour (depending on the temp in your house) on the counter. Make the base cheesecake and the top with your favorite topping!
Recipe inspired by Kate's Kitchen and Cake Duchess
Graham Cracker Crust
10 Cinnamon Graham Crackers (we used Trader Joe's - diary free but not vegan as they contain honey)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
Cashew Cheesecake Batter
1 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked for 3 hours or overnight)
1/4 cup almond milk (we used Silk, original unsweetened)
3 Tbs Coconut oil, melted
3 Tbs pure maple syrup
3 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp tahini (optional - but adds a bit of tartness)
1 tsp vanilla
Blueberry Cranberry Topping
2/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup cranberries
2 Tbs pure maple syrup
pinch fine grain salt - optional (preferably Pink Himilayan)
Place the graham crackers into a plastic zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin. When crumbs, add the melted coconut oil and squeeze the bag with your hands until evenly distributed.
Brush mini cheesecake cups with a small amount of coconut oil to prevent sticking. Place 2 teaspoons of crumbs into each mini cup and set aside. See note below.
Drain cashews and pat dry with a paper towel. Place into your blender (I used my Blendtec). Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Kind of like a nice hummus consistency.
Spoon a scant 2 Tbs of batter on top of crusts. Drop pan lightly on the counter top to settle the batter evenly into the cups.
Carefully spoon berry topping on top of the batter and place pan into the freezer. Our mini cakes took about 2 hours to freeze. If using immediately, cakes are probably ready about the 45 minute point. If saving for later, cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Remove from freezer and thaw in the fridge for about 2 hours, or allow to thaw on the counter top, I liked the consistency at about 1/2 hour on the counter. Enjoy!
This recipe made 12 mini cheesecakes.
**Liv Life Note: I love our Norpro Mini Cheesecake Pan
, but I read many recipes that used mini muffin tins with paper liners. You could also use silicone molds for cheesecakes. Liv Life Note 2: Note... the cheesecakes don't hold shape like regular cheesecake and will "puddle" when totally melted.
