These are SO worth the effort, I promise! Rich, creamy, nutty, and full of Fall flavor. You’ll be the talk of your next socially-distanced social event, for sure.
DETAILS
Gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan option (see Notes below recipe)
- Makes: 16 square bars
- Level of difficulty: Medium
- Prep time: 20 mins
- Cook time: 5 mins
- Bake time: 10-15 mins (add 35-40 mins for the vegan option)
- Chill time: 2 hours
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Ingredients
For crust:
1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans
1 cup pitted dates
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon butter or coconut oil
For filling:
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin powder (I use Great Lakes brand)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup cashew butter
1/6 cup maple syrup (or more to taste)
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- For the crust, add everything except dates and butter/ coconut oil to a food processor and process until the consistency of sand.
- Add the dates and coconut oil and process until sticky.
- Press into a greased 8×8 glass dish.
- Bake crust for 10-15 minutes and then let cool for 10-15 minutes. It will smell amazing!
- For the filling, add the coconut milk to a saucepan on low heat. Once it begins simmering, remove from heat and stir in the gelatin powder. Pour into a blender.
- Add all other filling ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the dish on top of the crust and smooth it out into a flat surface.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Top with toasted nuts or whipped cream (if desired), and cut into 16 squares.
NOTES
- To make vegan: Substitute 12oz of silken tofu + 1/2 cup canned coconut milk for the 1 1/2 cup coconut milk + 1 tbsp gelatin. Skip steps 6-8 and do this instead: Drain the tofu. Put all filling ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the filling into the dish on top of the crust and smooth it out into a flat surface with a rubber spatula. Bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating halfway through. When there’s 10 minutes left, check it to make sure it’s not too brown. It should be firm and have slightly brown edges when done. It’s essentially a vegan pumpkin spice cheesecake, rather than a mousse, but who cares? Still tasty. Continue with step 9.
- To store: Refrigerate in an airtight glass container for up to 1 week, or 3 months in the freezer. When you thaw after freezing, the filling won’t be as firm as before you froze it, but it’ll still taste scrumptious!
I’d love to know what you think of these, so please leave a comment below.
My husband ate the entire batch in 2.5 days! I really hope you enjoy them just as much.