Halloween Maple Cinnamon Swirl Party Cheesecakes

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

I shared this recipe on my site years ago, but as a full nine-inch cheesecake. Sometimes it’s hard to think outside of the box, or even the nine-inch Springform pan… so I thought I would share with you how I make desserts for large gatherings.

Sample Sizes

Sample sizes are the new rage… in my holiday planning repertoire. They are fun, easy, delicious, and nutritious make. When creating desserts for a party, I like to create vignettes throughout the main gathering area. I don’t stage everything in one spot, as that causes congestion and overcrowding.

By creating various food stations around the kitchen, dining, room, living room, etc., you generate more interest. It causes people to disperse and typically leads to more interaction between your guests. And isn’t that what these gatherings are about? For people to connect?!

I made these cheesecakes for our last Annual Halloween party, and they were a hit. So much so, that people were even commenting on them a week later. Now that’s a dessert that leaves a good taste in one’s mouth.

I will share that these small cheesecakes can be made well in advance and frozen. The day before the party, transfer them from the freezer to fridge, so they have time to thaw. Just make sure that they are well contained, so they don’t absorb any odd freezer or fridge odors… they are always in there… lurking… ready to take your delicious hostage! :) I hope you found this posting inspirational and gave you some good ideas for your next future party. Blessings, amie sue

Ingredients:

yields 26 servings (3 Tbsp (44 g) of filling) – with leftover crust

Crust:

3 cups (325 g) raw walnuts, soaked & dehydrated
1/2 tsp (4 g) Himalayan pink salt
5 Tbsp (77 g) maple syrup
2 tsp (9 g) vanilla extract

Filling:

3 cups (420 g) raw cashews, soaked 2+ hours
1 3/4 cups (392 g ) thick coconut cream or canned
1/2 cup (160 g) maple syrup

2 Tbsp (27 g) fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp (17 g) vanilla extract
1/4 tsp (2 g) Himalayan pink salt
1/4 tsp (1 g) maple flavoring
1/2 cup(92 g) raw coconut oil, melted

Cinnamon Swirl Sauce:

1/2 cup (345 g) maple syrup
1 Tbsp (18 g) raw coconut butter, melted
1 tsp (3 g) ground Ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 g) maple flavoring

Topping:

1 cup raw crushed walnuts (1 tsp salted walnuts)

Preparation:

Crust:

Process the walnuts and salt in a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, until it becomes a fine meal (small pieces).
Add the sweetener and vanilla until it is well mixed and sticks together when pinched.
- Be careful that you don’t over-process the nuts, or they will release too much oil.
Line up 26 party cups on a baking pan with edges.
- The tray will help with transporting the desserts to the fridge or freezer.
- I use cambros a lot for my food storage, which you will see below in the photos. They fit nicely in the fridge and freezer and come with tight-fitting lids. You can find these at restaurant supply stores.
Roll 1 tsp (8 g) of the crust batter into a ball and put it in the bottom of each cup.
- Once done, use the base of another cup to compress the ball into a crust shape. Don’t press too hard; we don’t want it compacted in there.
- Dip the bottom of the cup you are using as the press in water after other crust. This will prevent the crust from sticking to the bottom of that cup. I hope that made sense. :)
Set the cups with the crusts aside while you make the cheesecake batter.

Filling:

In a high-powered blender combine; cultured cashews, sweetener, lemon juice, maple flavoring, and salt.
- Due to the volume and the creamy texture that we are going after, it is important to use a high-powered blender. It could be too taxing on a lower-end model.
- Blend until the filling is creamy smooth. You shouldn’t detect any grit. If you do, keep blending.
- This process can take 2-4 minutes, depending on the strength of the blender. Keep your hand cupped around the base of the blender carafe to feel for warmth. If the batter is getting too warm. Stop the machine and let it cool. Then proceed once cooled.
With a vortex going in the blender, drizzle in the coconut oil. Blend just long enough to incorporate everything together. Don’t over-process.
- What is a vortex? Look into the container from the top and slowly increase the speed from low to high, the batter will form a small vortex (or hole) in the center. High-powered machines have containers that are designed to create a controlled vortex, systematically folding ingredients back to the blades for smoother blends and faster processing… instead of just spinning ingredients around, hoping they find their way to the blades.
- If your machine isn’t powerful enough or built to do this, you may need to stop the unit often to scrape the sides down.
Pour 3 Tbsp (44 g) of filling into each party cup.
- I used “Big Party Pack” 2 oz shot glasses
Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. They will come to the surface.
Cinnamon Swirl Sauce:
- Blend all ingredients until smooth and transfer into a squeeze bottle that has a long tip with a small hole.
- Take the squeeze bottle of the cinnamon mixture and poke the tip of the bottle down into the batter, give the bottle a gentle squeeze, only letting up on the pressure after you withdraw the bottle tip from the filling. If you release the pressure while the tip is in the filling, it will suck it into the sauce.
- Using a long skewer, run the stick through the area where you squeezed in the sauce. Be careful that you don’t disturb the crust down below.
Top with crushed walnuts or the extra crust batter.
Chill in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for 4-6 hours (or overnight) and then move to the fridge for 12 hours.
Store in the fridge for 3-5 days or up to 3 months in the freezer. Be sure that they are well sealed to avoid fridge odors.