Raspberry Rose Mini Cheesecakes with Pistachio Crumble {gluten, dairy, refined sugar free}
Serves: 12 mini cheesecakes
 
Ingredients
  • CRUST:
  • ⅔ cup Pistachios (shelled)
  • ⅔ cup Walnuts
  • 4 Medjool Dates (pits removed)
  • ⅛ teaspoon Sea Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla
  • RASPBERRY/ROSE FILLING:
  • 2½ cups Raspberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1½ cups Cashews (soaked overnight - or use quick method mentioned in post)
  • 3 tablespoons Coconut Oil, liquified
  • 3 tablespoons Coconut Butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • juice of 1 small Lemon
  • 6 tablespoons Maple Syrup (or honey, if not vegan)
  • 4 tablespoons Water
  • ½ drop Rose Oil (food grade - see post) or ½-1 teaspoon Rose Water
  • RASPBERRY TOPPING:
  • 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1½ tablespoons Maple Syrup (or honey)
  • Fresh raspberries, to garnish
  • Dried rose buds, to garnish
Instructions
  1. lightly grease a 12 well mini cheesecake pan. A pan with removable bottoms is best.
  2. FOR THE CRUST:
  3. Place the pistachios in a food processor. Process until broken down into smaller pieces (about ¼ the size of a whole pistachio). Add the walnuts, dates, salt, and vanilla to the food processor and process until the nuts are coarsely ground and the mixture sticks together when pressed in.
  4. Reserve 4 tablespoons of crust (this will be used to top the cheesecakes with).
  5. Divide the remaining crust between the cheesecake wells and press the crust in each well down firmly with the back of a teaspoon until it is smooth and packed. Place the cheesecake pan in the freezer while you make the raspberry rose filling.
  6. FOR THE RASPBERRY ROSE FILLING:
  7. Puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor. Run the puree through a fine mesh sieve and discard the seeds.
  8. Place the cashews (drain them first), 8 tablespoons of the raspberry puree, coconut oil, coconut butter, vanilla, lemon juice, maple syrup, and water in a high speed blender and blend until creamy and perfectly smooth (this may take a few minutes).
  9. If using rose water, add ½ teaspoon to the mixture and blend. Taste and add more as needed.
  10. If using rose oil, dip a toothpick into the bottle of oil and swirl the oil dipped toothpick around in the cheesecake mixture. Blend and repeat until the desired taste is reached. I used rose oil and I needed to dip my toothpick twice to achieve a nice rose flavor. Remember - oil is strong so start small!
  11. Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly between the cheesecake wells, over the frozen crusts (make sure to leave about ¼-1/8" of space at the top of the cheesecake filling for the raspberry topping). Tap the pan to level the cheesecake filling and freeze while you make the raspberry topping.
  12. FOR THE RASPBERRY TOPPING:
  13. Place the remaining raspberry puree in the blender (use the same blender that you used for the filling - it does not need to be washed as long as you scraped it out well) along with the coconut oil, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Blend until smooth. Pour the topping over each cheesecake (just to the top of the well). Tap lightly to smooth the topping.
  14. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of reserved pistachio crust over the top of the cheesecake. Top each with a fresh raspberry and a few rose buds.
  15. Freeze until solid.
  16. TO SERVE: Let pan sit at room temperature for a few minutes before popping out the cheesecakes. Remove bottoms and serve. You can also let them sit in fridge for 10-15 minutes to soften up (after you remove them from the pan).
  17. Keep these frozen - they will keep for several months in the freezer and you can pull one out any time you have a cheesecake craving!
Recipe by The Kitchen McCabe at https://www.thekitchenmccabe.com/2016/02/09/raspberry-rose-mini-cheesecakes-with-pistachio-crumble-gluten-dairy-refined-sugar-free/