When I was a young girl it seemed like I could eat anything my heart desired without consequence. Momma wasn't one to indulge me, but she knew Pop was always more than willing for an excuse to get on his daughter's good side. Since he worked 5 days a week, and often late hours, the amount of time we spent together was precious, and he was happy to play the role of the 'nice parent.' Tic-Tac-Toe with Hershey's Kisses, ice cream sundaes the size of my head and candy bars dipped in peanut butter. When Monday's would role back around I'd always whine and complain as Momma sent me to bed without dessert, or forced me to eat my vegetables. "Little girls are sweet enough without all the extra sugar," she'd say.
As an adult I'm the master of my own domain- I can eat what I want, or don't eat what I don't want, whenever I choose. Alas, I don't have the metabolism of a young girl, and the feelings of excitement over sweets and treats are quickly replaced with those of guilt. While we're not committing to any major lifestyle changes, in the dietary department, quite yet, I do enjoy the exploration and challenges of cooking for our friends who have. Earlier in the year a league-mate went Paleo for 30 days and I was fascinated to learn about that.
Over the past year a close friend of ours has become quite the flag waving vegan. What started as a foray into vegetarianism is now a very passionate lifestyle belief. I am constantly moved to learn of his stories about food preparation, the connection to meat eaters and the drought, or the in humane practices of beekeeping. Naturally, like any lifestyle, there are many opinions and views to be seen; for the most part I applaud his decision to remain obedient to the Vegan way of life.
All this being said I was intrigued to hear that one of America's beloved junk food, cookies, makes the cut as Vegan acceptable- Oreos. In fact, there are several wonderful substitute ingredients in Vegan sweets that I rather enjoy- but a life without cheesecake? Well, I don't think I could envision committing to that. So, on the back of our Vegan Paleo Mock Snickers Bar post I set out to experiment with a Vegan approved cheesecake recipe. Using coconut milk as me 'dairy' substitute the result was quite remarkable- in fact, not a single person who tried this blindly second questioned that these were, in fact 'cheesecake.'
Perhaps the biggest drawback to following any major dietary lifestyle is that, the richer the ingredients, to more expensive the cost. Other than the meticulous hunt for Vegan peanut butter cups, this recipe was fairly affordable and yielded a good portion of servings. Even better they can, and should, be stored in the freezer for an extended life- so go ahead and make them ahead in batches!
What Daughter Says: Eating cleaner doesn't have to mean eating any less sweeter.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups
***Click here for printable Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups Recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C Crushed Oreo Cookies
2 TBS Coconut Oil (Or Vegan Butter Substitute)
1 1/2 C Raw Cashews, Water Treated + Drained
1/3 C Coconut Oil, Melted
1/2 C + 2 TBS Full Fat Coconut Milk
1/2 C Agave Nectar (Or Maple Syrup)
1/3 C Natural Peanut Butter, Creamy
1/4 C Lemon Juice
1/2 C Semisweet Mini Chocolate Chips (Dairy Free)
1/4 C Coconut Milk
1/4 C Chopped Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350F
1. Process Oreos in a food processor until they are a fine and even consistency. Add 2TBS melted coconut oil or Vegan butter and pulse to combine.
2. Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners or parchment strips. Add 1 generous spoonful of Oreo crust to each muffin tin bin. Using a small spoon or cup pat down the crust tightly. Bake for 5 Minutes, then set aside.
3. Add drained cashews, lemon juice, coconut oil, coconut milk, syrup and peanut butter to a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Scrape down sides occasionally to ensure all contents are evenly mixed. If your mixture appears too thick add a little additional coconut milk to help thin it. Pour evenly over baked crust, tapping the muffin pans on the counter to help eliminate air bubbles.
4. Prepare chocolate ganache by bringing 1/4C coconut milk to a simmer in a double broiler. Add chocolate chips and stir until evenly combined and smooth. Spoon 1/2 TBS ganache over each cup and gently swirl into top of mixture with a toothpick.
5. Sprinkle chunks of crumbled Vegan peanut butter cups over the top of each cup for garnish. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours, or freeze 3-4. Serve direct from fridge, or set at room temperature for 15 minutes, from freezer, prior to serving.
The hubby likes to eat meatless meals now and then so I am pretty proficient at cooking that way but neither one of us is ready to go full bore vegetarian or get anywhere close to vegan. I mean - we're goat farmers! But these look amazing. You are something else in the kitchen
ReplyDeleteThose look fantastic! I have to say, I was surprised to see such a delicious looking recipe like this that didn't use any dairy whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, I have issues with dairy so it might be a great recipe to make. Looks yummy, too! Pinned for later.
ReplyDeletePinning this now to make later, although my hips might not thank you. Of course, I could be lazy and just eat some natural PB with chocolate chips. But, I think this would be better.
ReplyDeleteI know someone who would love these so much!
ReplyDeleteWe have a gluten free family member that I find very difficult to cook for. I just love bread too much! I have experimented with soups a lot more because of this restriction though and have found some excellent recipes. Your vegan peanut butter cheesecake looks absolutely fabulous! I can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteI always admire your photo skills. I don't know how you pull off these great shots, except the food looks like it's as good as it tastes and I'll bet this tastes yummy!
ReplyDeleteThis looks yummy!!! I recently eliminated (almost) all dairy out of my diet. (The only dairy I consume is my coffee creamer :/ that stuff is like crack!) My son has food allergies - so this past year my husband & have been tailoring our eating habits. It really is such a lifestyle change & their are so many benefits to eliminating certain things from your diet!
ReplyDeleteOMG! My mouth is watering once again from one of your posts. Love the way all the colors pop on that bright green background. I am not Vegan, but my friend is. I'll share this one with her.
ReplyDelete