Paleo Recipe: Caramel Cheesecake Bars (minus cheese)
This Paleo friendly dessert recipe will have you thinking that you are really eating cheesecake! It is that good! We tried it and couldn’t believe our taste buds. Paleo friendly desserts can be difficult to make delicious, but this recipe from PaleOMG really beats expectations!
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Ingredients:
Makes 12-16 bars
For the crust
- 1 cup almond butter
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup walnuts
- 1 heaping tablespoon Coconut Cream Concentrate
- 1 heaping tablespoon raw honey
- Pinch of salt
For the filling
- 1.5 cups roasted, unsalted cashews
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup raw honey
- 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2-4 tablespoon canned coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the caramel
- 12-14 medjool dates, pitted and soaked in water for an hour
- 5-6 tablespoons canned coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Salt to top it all off with
Instructions
Add the dates to a small bowl of water and let them soak for at least an hour. While we are waiting we can begin to make the crust. Place walnuts into your food processor and blend until you get a meal consistency close to a walnut butter. Then add in the rest of the crust ingredients to the processor and continue to blend until all crust ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Place the crust mixture into a square 8 inch baking dish that has been previously lined with saran wrap and press the mixture evenly across the bottom of the dish.
Clean out your food processor and then add the cashews and blend until it becomes a clumpy consistency. Next add the coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract and honey and puree these ingredients until thoroughly combined. The last step is to add coconut milk 1 tablespoon at a time to help completely break down the cashews. It should only take about 2-3 tablespoons to get a soupy cashew paste.
Pour all the filling on top of the crust and use a small spatula or spoon to even out the mixture in the pan. Now place the pan in the freezer for about 2 hours or until it has completely hardened.
After the dates have had an hour to soak remove them from the water and add them to a clean food processor and pulse them for a minute or so until they break down. Then add the coconut milk one tablespoon at a time while the processor is still running slowly. Add the water as well along with the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Process this mixture until you start to get a caramel consistency. This might take a few minutes to get there.
Evenly spread the date caramel mixture over the top of the hardened cheesecake and lightly top with sea salt. Place this all back in the freezer for an additional 30 minutes to allow everything to set. After everything has set, you can cut the cheesecake into bars and use the saran wrap to assist you in removing the bars from the pan by pulling from the sides. ENJOY!
Special thanks to PaleOMG for this delicious recipe!
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