Coconut Cookies & Cream "Cheese" Cake
Vegan & Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Egg, Wheat, Soy, Palm Oil
These super creamy ‘cheese’ cake squares are so delicious and easy to make. All you need is a decent traditional blender (I would avoid a bullet style blender for this type of recipe) to make yummy raw desserts that are completely vegan and gluten free. The cookie base and pieces are almost brownie like but if prefer a little bit more texture feel free to use coconut flakes instead of oats.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE BASE / COOKIE PIECES / AND COOKIE BALLS
1 cup of almonds
1 cup of gluten free oats
1/2 cup of cacao powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
14 Medjool dates
INGREDIENTS FOR THE CREAMY FILLING
2 1/2 cups of cashews (soaked for at least 2.5 hours)
250ml carton of coconut cream
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of agave syrup
1/3 cup of water
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder
1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
EXTRA INGREDIENTS FOR THE COOKIE BALLS
Desiccated coconut
HOW TO MAKE THE COOKIE BASE
Put all of the base ingredients, except the dates, in to a blender and pulse.
Once the almonds have broken down add the medjool dates and pulse until it starts to form a dough.
Press two thirds of the dough into a 20x20cm square silicone cake mould (or a lined cake tin) to form the base and put in to the freezer. Set the other third aside, it will be used later in the recipe.
HOW TO MAKE THE CREAMY FILLING
Put all of the ingredients, except the coconut oil, in to the blender. Blend until smooth.
Add the melted coconut oil and blend for another 30-60secs.
Pour the creamy filling over the cookie base.
Using half of the cookie base that was set aside, take little chunks and place them randomly over the surface. Push in to the top of the filling and smooth the surface slightly with a palette knife.
Put the cake back in to the freezer and allow to fully set overnight.
HOW TO MAKE THE COCONUT COOKIE BALLS
With the remaining cookie base, divide into 12-16 pieces (depending how big you want your pieces of ‘cheese’cake to be!).
With damp hands, roll each piece into a ball, and then roll in to some desiccated coconut.
Leave to set in the fridge until needed.
TIP – If you want your cookie balls even more chocolatey, then you could roll them in cacao powder instead of coconut.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Once the cake has been frozen overnight, remove from the silicone mould and place on a flat chopping board.
With a warm, sharp knife, cut the cake into 16 squares (or 12 rectangles).
Using a warm teaspoon lightly press the back of the spoon on to the top of the cake where you want to place the cookie ball. This will melt some of the creamy filling and allow the cookie ball to set on top.
Place the slices in to the fridge to continue to defrost. They will keep in the fridge for a few days and I actually find they taste even better 1-2 days later.
TIP – The slices also freeze exceptionally well and only take about 30 minutes to defrost, so put any spare slices straight back in the freezer after slicing and take out individually as needed. They can stay in the freezer for up to a month.
