Superfood Vegan Unicorn Cheesecake Bites

These unicorn-colored cheesecake bites are made with nourishing ingredients like almonds, cashews, dates, and superfood powders. They'll make you feel like a kid again!

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 1 c dates
  • 0.5 c almonds
  • 0.25 c dark chocolate

For the Filling

  • 2.5 c raw cashews, soaked overnight
  • 0.75 c full-fat coconut milk
  • 20 cubes of crystallized ginger
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp crushed, freeze-dried blueberries
  • 1 tsp matcha green tea
  • 0.25 tsp turmeric root powder
  • 0.5 tsp hibiscus powder
  • Unsweetened shredded coconut for garnishing

Instructions

  1. The day before, start soaking your cashews in a bowl or large measuring cup filled with water. Don't skimp on this step, it's critical for getting a smooth filling. After 12-24 hours of soaking, pour them into a colander and let them drain fully.
  2. To make the crust: combine the almonds and dates in a food processor, and process until the mixture just starts to make a sticky ball. For more detail on this, check out my Homemade Lara Bars post, it's the same idea. Add the chocolate and process just until it's broken down into small pieces; if you process the chocolate too long, it will melt.
  3. Line a bread pan with several layers of plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap goes all the way into the corners and up the sides. Leave enough sticking out the sides so you'll be able to pull the whole cheesecake out after you're done.
  4. Spoon the crust mixture into the pan and press it down firmly. You want to achieve an even layer that will stick together well, so press it hard. Then, let your crust sit in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before trying to spread filling over the top.
  5. To make the filling: put the soaked (and drained) cashews, coconut milk, ginger, and vanilla into a food processor. Process until you have a smooth, creamy filling, scraping down the sides every minute or two; it will likely take about ten minutes total.
  6. Divide the filling evenly into four bowls. An even division at this stage will yield consistent layers in the cheesecake.
  7. To one of the bowls of filling, add blueberry powder and mix. Keep adding until you achieve a bold blue color, and make sure the filling is well-mixed.
  8. Remove the bread pan from the freezer and place dollops of the blue filling across the surface. Spread it gently into a thin, even layer. Be delicate so as not to disturb the crust below. The more even you can make this layer, the more uniform your layers will look in the finished product.
  9. Freeze for ~15 minutes so that the layer sets enough to not be disturbed when you add the next layer.
  10. Repeat steps 7-9, but with a green filling made from matcha green tea.
  11. Repeat steps 7-9, but with a yellow filling made from turmeric. Turmeric can have a strong flavor, so go easy with it.
  12. Repeat steps 7-8, but with a pink filling made from hibiscus powder.
  13. After you've added the last layer, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it set in the freezer for an hour. You want it to set long enough to keep its shape well, but not so long that it becomes difficult to cut.
  14. When you're ready to cut, use the plastic wrap edges to pull the whole cheesecake out of the bread pan. Place it on a cutting board, and cut into your desired small shapes (squares? rectangles? triangles?) and sizes (one bite? two bites?). I like doing one cut lengthwise and 5 cuts widthwise to yield 12 squares.
  15. Garnish as desired. Shaved coconut, more crystallized ginger, and/or a chocolate drizzle would all be nice options.
  16. When you're done, store your cheesecake bites in the freezer since they'll keep their shape best when frozen. Before serving, let them thaw at room temperature for 15-30 minutes to yield the perfect cold, creamy texture.