A Perfectly Sweet Treat for Valentine’s Day
I love chocolate and berries and February treats as much as the next girl (well except for candy hearts —you can have those), but I know that I don’t always feel my best when I’m overloading on sweets. It’s not that I feel “guilty” or “bad” for eating those things, I just like for my body to feel it’s best most of the time and I know that too much of the sweet stuff won’t work in my favor. So, I made these mini “cheesecake” bites to help me feel satisfied without feeling gross. I love cheesecake and have made a few in my day, but there’s no question it’s pretty labor intensive and takes a while to bake. Not to mention, it’s so hard to tell if/when it’s done, right? Does anyone else have that problem? You know, “is it undercooked? Overcooked? Too jiggly? Wait, is it wiggling enough?” Or is that just me?
What I’m saying is, this recipe is awesome because it’s NO BAKE! Gotta love that. It’s also made out of whole-food ingredients that you likely have hanging around your house, is gluten and dairy free if that’s your thing, and can easily be made vegan by just omitting the touch of honey in the base. This recipe not only provides that perfect touch of sweetness, but actually satisfies because of the healthy fats and protein the ingredients naturally contain. It also provides a great blank canvas for just about any topping your Valentines heart could desire! So, go ahead and no-bake away. Keep these on hand throughout the month to share with those you love.
- Base:
- ½ cup pecans
- ¾ cup gluten-free oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 tbsp of cold water (use more or less as needed for consistency)
- Optional 1-2 tbsp cacao powder (if more chocolate taste is desired)
- Filling:
- 1 ¼ cup cashews, soaked in warm water for at least 2 hours
- ¾ can unsweetened full-fat coconut milk (use the cream on top)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp orange zest
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- Optional toppings:
- Frozen berries, simmered in a pan and reduced until thick compote
- Chocolate shavings
- Orange zest and grated nutmeg
- Soak 1 ¼ cup of cashews in warm water for at least 2 hours.
- Grease a mini-muffin pan well.
- Blend pecans, GF oats, cinnamon, honey, dates and optional cacao powder together in a food processor until well mixed and starting to stick together.
- Slowly add in a small amount of cold water while mixing to help the mixture stick together better, just enough that it forms a ball and is easy to shape with your fingers.
- Fill the bottom ⅓ of each mini-muffin tin with the date-pecan-oat mixture, pressing down until well-packed. Place in freezer for about 30 minutes-1 hour, until firm in the tin.
- Meanwhile, blend the filling ingredients in a blender.
- Spoon this mixture over the date-pecan-oat base.
- Add toppings if desired.
- Place in freezer again and freeze until hardened, at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Let soften at room temperature for 2-3 minutes before enjoying.
