Mini Easter Vegan Cheesecakes

Prepared and photographed by NutraMilk nutritionist, Florencia Tagliavini.

Whip up these mini scrumptious bird nest cheesecakes with just a few simple ingredients. The recipe below is what I made with what I had at home but there are various other ingredients that can be used to replace what I used. See notes below. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

For crust

• 1/2 cups almonds
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup dates, pitted
• pinch of sea salt

For filling

• 2 cups raw cashews, previously soaked
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup water
• juice of 1 lemon + zest
• 1/2 cup pure light maple syrup, agave nectar (or honey if not vegan)

For topping

• 1 cup shredded coconut, toasted
• mini egg chocolates and or candies

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the crust

• Add nuts to the NutraMilk and Press ¨Mix¨ for 1 minute or less until nuts are broken down to nut meal.
• Add dates and press ¨Mix¨ until a loose though is formed. It should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. If it’s too dry, add a few more date. If too wet, add more almond or walnut meal.

• Using a cupcake pan preferable a silicone one, press the mixture into the bottom evenly and set aside.

To make the filling:

• Make cashew nut butter first:
  • Place cashews and salt in the NutraMilk container.
  • Press Butter cycle, set for 5-6 minutes.
  • Press Start.
  • Open the container lid.
  • If necessary, set for an additional 1-2 minutes for a creamier butter.

• Add all the rest of filling ingredient in the NutraMilk along with cashew butter and Press ¨Mix¨ for one minute or until a very smooth mixture forms.

• Pour over the bases in the cupcake pan. Tap the pan gently to let it settle. Place straight into the freezer until hard- about 4-6 hours. If you want, you can make them ahead of time and keep them frozen.
• To toast the coconut: spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven at 325°F, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden. This should take 10-15 minutes. Watch closely because the coconut can go from golden to burnt in an instant.

• When ready take out of the freezer and decorate with toasted coconut and mini eggs. Serve immediately and enjoy this sweet creamy treat!

Notes.

*The crust can be made with any combination of nuts or just one nut, you can also use rolled oats. Dates hold the crust together but you can also use a combination of almond butter and maple syrup instead of dates. The important thing is that you get a loose dough that should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. So you can add more or less of a dry ingredient if it´s too sticky and more dates or almond butter/maple syrup (or agave nectar/honey) if it´s to dry.

*The key ingredient for the filling is the cashew butter- you can use coconut milk instead of coconut oil. Instead of lemon you can use any fruit to flavor, such as berries.