Holiday recipes: Christmas dessert alternatives

Raw cheesecake bites

When you want to indulge. My spin on the classic raw vegan cheesecake.

These cheesecake bites are a great dessert alternative. They require a little bit of effort however, I promise you’ll be thankful in the long run. Once you’ve got the base sorted, you can get creative with your mix-ins and toppings each time.

Makes 12 | Vegetarian and vegan | Preparation: 60 min + overnight freezing time

Ingredients

1 cup medjool dates (pitted)

1 cup walnuts/almonds

1 ½ cups of cashews (soaked overnight)

¼ cup lemon juice

⅓ cup coconut oil (melted)

⅔ cup coconut cream (scooped off top)

½ cup maple syrup

Optional add-ins:

¼ cup berries (blueberries, raspberries etc.)

2 tablespoons nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew)

Method

For the crust, blitz the medjool dates in a high-speed food processor and set aside.

Next, blitz walnuts until they become very fine, re-add the dates and the consistency should resemble a dough. The mixture should stick together when pressed, but add more dates or nut meal to adjust if required.

Lightly grease muffin trays (2 x 6 slot trays).

Scoop in a tablespoon of the crust and press firm to cover the base of each muffin hole. Place in the freezer.

Add remaining ingredients to a high-speed food processor and blend until smooth. Add lemon/coconut cream if too dry to ensure the mixture becomes creamy. If using one of the optional add-ins, blend in now. Taste the mixture and adjust to your preference.

Divide mixture on top of crust in muffin tins and freeze overnight.

Serve with fresh berries, mango or passionfruit. Store in the freezer for two weeks.