Churro Flavored Cheesecake Cups [Vegan, Raw]

Two of your favorite desserts in one cup, it doesn’t get much better than that. Taste the sweet cinnamon flavors melting with the creamy cheesecake and you may not come up for air!

CHURRO FLAVORED CHEESECAKE CUPS

SERVES

12

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• ½ cup macadamia nuts
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup pecans
• ½ cup dates
• ¼ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

Filling:

• 3 cups cashews (soaked overnight)
• ½ cup date paste
• ½ cup coconut palm sugar (plus a little extra for topping)
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¾ cup room temp almond milk (or milk of choice)
• ¾ cup coconut oil (optional for consistency)
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• a dash of Himalayan pink salt

Vanilla Coconut Whipped Cream Garnish (optional):

• 1 can full fat coconut milk (placed in refrigerator overnight, or you can buy actual coconut cream)
• the seeds from one vanilla bean
• 1-2 tablespoons date paste (can also use maple syrup or coconut palm sugar)

Other garnish as décor (optional):

• 1 cinnamon stick broken into pieces
• coconut palm sugar to sprinkle on top
• cinnamon to sprinkle on top

PREPARATION

1. Soak your cashews overnight making sure to fill bowl with plenty of water as cashews expand quite a bit. If you don’t have time, soak at least 2-3 hours. The longer you soak them, the smoother the consistency.
2. Place all crust ingredients in a food processor, blender or high speed blender and pulse until nuts and dates are chopped well.
3. Drop 3 spoonfuls of crust mixture in each section of a muffin tin, making sure to place on top of parchment strips if using. Press down until mixture is firm and creates a crust like bottom layer.
4. Next, put all filling ingredients in a food processor, blender or high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. If you are not using a high speed blender, then you will have to blend for a while to get a smooth consistency but eventually you will. When I use my food processor it takes about 5-7 minutes.
5. Put 3 spoonfuls of filling on top of the crust layer in the muffin tins. You may need to add more, depending on your tins. You want the filling layer to be about ¼ to ½ inch from the top of the tin. Then sprinkle some coconut palm sugar over the top of each cup.
6. Freeze overnight for best results, or for at least 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, but not much longer or they may get too soft.
7. Meanwhile, to make the optional garnish, take the can of coconut milk out of the refrigerator and open it. Using a spoon, remove the harder white thick layer from the top, reserving the clear coconut water for a later use if you want. It makes a great addition to smoothies! Using a hand or stand mixer, mix the coconut cream layer with the rest of the ingredients until light and fluffy.
8. Once they are frozen and ready, pull up each cheesecake cup with the parchment paper tabs and place on a serving platter. Use a small spoon to top each cheesecake cup with a dollop of coconut cream, sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon and place a piece of cinnamon stick on top. This is all for décor so remember that it is optional. Enjoy!

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/churro-flavored-cheesecake-cups/