These are the perfect sweet treat with a kick of bitterness (thanks, lemon zest). These are a guaranteed hit with all of your family and friends- I promise- granted they like cheesecake, that is. They have the cheesecake texture without any dairy or refined sugar 🙌🏻 I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I have. **WARNING** Once you start eating them, you won't be able to stop.
What you'll need:
1 cup of pitted dates (you can buy them pitted but they are also super easy to pit yourself- just tear in half and the seed will pop out)
1.5 cups of pecans
2 cups of raw, unsalted whole cashews
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp of lemon zest
1 cup of canned full-fat coconut milk (I love the Thrive Market brand)
1/2 cup of blackberries
3 tbsp of organic maple syrup
1/4 cup of virgin coconut oil
High-speed blender or food processor
Glass pyrex container or cake tin lined with parchment paper (I used an 8")
Let's get to it!
Soak the cashews either overnight for 8 hours or in a glass bowl covered in boiling water and aluminum foil for 2 hours
Prep the glass dish or cake tin with by lining it with parchment paper
Make the crust first
Add the pecans and dates into a food processor or high-speed blender until it is well blended
Scoop/pour the mixture into the dish, pressing it firmly down
Freeze for 30 minutes
Next, make the lemon-flavored layer
Drain/measure 1 cup of the soaked cashews, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup of the canned coconut milk into the high-
speed blender or food processor
Blend until creamy
Pour mixture over crust, smoothing over with a utensil of your choice
Freeze for 40 minutes
Finally, make the blackberry-flavored layer
Drain measure the rest (1 cup) of soaked cashews, 1/2 cup of the canned coconut milk, blackberries, maple syrup, and virgin coconut
oil into the high-speed blender or food processor
Blend until creamy
Pour mixture over the lemon layer, smoothing with a utensil of your choice
Freeze for 2 hours
Keep the bars in freezer until ready to eat & let thaw for about 15 minutes prior to eating 💕
Happy cashew-caking!
xx Alexis