Author: Marie Krikorian

I love the holidays because it means time in the kitchen with my family. Most fancy dinner parties and holiday events, I remember my mom would always make this beautiful cheesecake but I never really ate it because I didn’t like cheesecake, until I discovered that I’m a pretty big fan of dairy-free cheesecake.  These mini cheesecakes have a chocolate coffee almond flour crust and a cheesy vanilla filling topped with mint ganache. These two-bite delights are basically little lattes, but better.

This Crust is made of some of my favorite ingredients like coffee, cacao, and maple syrup. The filling is as creamy and fluffy as its non-vegan counterpart, made with chickpeas, cashews, and coconut milk. What could be better than a healthier remake of a holiday classic?  

I used this really cute cake pan which allowed the cakes to bake quickly and they are super cute mini cheesecake bars, perfect for holiday parties and potlucks. 

This baked vegan cheesecake is dreamy. Vegan, gluten-free, and takes under an hour active time. 

FOR THE CRUST

2 cups Healthworks Almond Flour

2 tbsp finely ground coffee

2 tbsp Healthworks Cacao Powder

2 tbsp Coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

Dash of salt

FOR THE FILLING

2 cups soaked raw cashews 
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
1 lemon, juiced and 1/2 of the zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons tahini
1 can coconut milk
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tsp Healtthworks Cacao Powder

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

28 grams 72% dark chocolate

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 cup coconut cream

1/8 tsp mint extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven at 320 Fahrenheit.
2. Place all of the crust ingredients, except maple syrup,  in a food processor. Pulse until a sticky dough-like lump forms. Do not over blend, it can become too creamy from getting hot.  Once the dough looks like it could be pressed into a pan add maple and pulse a few short times. 
3. Press dough into a greased pan and set into fridge. 
4. Put all filling ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. If you do not have a high-speed blender, you may need to blend slowly in batches. 
5. Once smooth, separate a small amount (maybe 1/2 cup total) of the filling for the marbling on top. With the separated filling ad 3 tsp cacao powder and whisk. Pour the vanilla mix into the prepared pan. Then top with the chocolate filling. For this, I recommend spooning some mixture into “random” parts of the cake. Then take a skewer and draw patterns into the chocolate.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until it starts to crack and the edges are golden but the middle is jiggly. Don’t over bake,  the cheesecake will continue to cook while the pan is cooling. If you are using an 8 inch springform pan, it will take 50 minutes. 
7. Allow to cool and store in fridge, preferably overnight. Then top with mint ganache and serve.
8. To make mint ganache warm coconut cream and coconut oil on the stove top using a low heat. Pour over chocolate and stir. 
9. Drizzle, spread, or dollop the ganache on top of the cheesecakes.