Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Cookie Dough Cheesecake (vegan and gluten free)

This is it: my best recipe yet. You can order cocoa butter online, or you can find it in stores (sometimes you can find it in the personal care section by lotions; as long as it's 100% pure cocoa butter you can use it for cooking), but if you really don't want to you can probably replace it with more coconut oil, though you might need to cut the water a little. You can find cashew butter in the natural food section of some grocery stores, or in more specialty stores like Whole Foods; this is much easier and faster than soaking cashews and then blending them yourself.

Ingredients
Cookie dough
1 Tbsp ground chia seeds + 1/4 c water
1 c white rice flour
1/2 c oat flour
1/2 c millet flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c vegan butter, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
about 1 c mini chocolate chips

Cheesecake filling
1 c cashew butter
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
6 Tbsp agave
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp cocoa butter, melted
3 Tbsp water

Instrutions
1) Preheat oven to 325. Prepare an 8" round cake pan by spraying it with nonstick spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper (use a square of parchment paper, trace the outside of the pan with pen, cut just inside the line)
2) Prepare the cookie dough:
      a) Mix the chia seeds and water with a fork in a small bowl
      b) Whisk the flours, salt, baking soda, and xanthum gum in a medium bowl.
      c) Measure the sugars and butter into a large bowl. Mix thouroughly with a study spoon. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
      d) Add the chia seed paste to the sugar mix and stir to combine.
      e) Add the flour to the sugar mix and stir, then use clean hands to knead the dough together.
3) Divide the dough into thirds. Add about 1/3 c of chocolate chips to one third, then using your hands press it into the bottom of the cake pan, spreading almost all the way to the edges.
4) Bake the cookie crust for 18-20 minutes, until it puffs up and feels firm to the touch on top. Pull out and place in the fridge to cool.
5) (Optional) Take a small amount of the remaining cookie dough (about 1/6 of the original batch) and add chocolate chips. Spoon out 1 tsp cookie dough balls onto a lined cookie sheet, and bake 8-10 minutes; these mini cookies can be used to decorating the top of the cheesecake.
6) Take the remaining cookie dough (without chocolate chips) and roll into 1/4 to 1/2 tsp balls, place on a cookie sheet, and put them in the freezer to harden.
7) Make the cheesecake filling: Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until thoroughly mixed.
8) Pour the cheesecake filling mix into a medium bowl. Add the frozen cookie dough balls and remaining chocolate chips and stir; the mixture will firm up as the frozen cookie dough causes the oils to start to solidify.
9) Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the cookie crust. Smooth with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Place mini cookies on top for decoration.
10) Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight (or place in the freezer for a few hours). Once it's set, take it out and go around the edge with a butter knife to separate the cheesecake from the pan. Flip the pan over onto a plate or cutting board and tap until it falls out. Peel off the parchment paper from the bottom.
11) Cut the cheesecake with a large knife. Refrigerate leftovers.