Maple Cinnamon Swirl Party Cheesecakes

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free ~

Yummy, delicious things come in small packages. Well, that’s what Bob tells me when he kisses me. :) Some would say that I am vertically challenged… me, I have no issue with my height. I am who I am. Not a darn toot’n thing I can do about it away.

When it comes to hosting parties, I like to create a variety of foods for our friends and family to enjoy. The more that I can expose them to delicious, yet nutritious foods… the better chance I have of guiding them towards a life of healthier eating.

This “opportunity” that I am gifted is a small window for many of my guests, so I want every morsel of food to count… right then and there! It has become a great pleasure to make sample-sized foods so that our guests can taste test many different dishes without getting too full.

These cheesecakes can be made ahead of time, which will reduce your stress load. The key is to have your menu planned out so you can make all the preparations ahead of time. Foods and desserts that can be frozen up until the day before the gathering should be made first. Leave all the “fresh” prep for the days that lead right up to the get-together.

When I was creating these adorable little cheesecakes, I quickly found that if I poured the filling batter from a container with a spout, I had fewer messes. I first started pouring from my Vitamix carafe, but the spout on that is pretty wide… especially for these little cups. So I transferred the filling to my Blendtec carafe since it has a square top which gave me more control. You can also use a four-cup measuring cup such as (these).

When creating these small desserts, you will end up with some extra crust. You can sprinkle it on top of the cheesecakes instead of the crushed nuts. Or you can reward yourself with it as a snack to nibble on while working in the kitchen. I hope you enjoy this inspiring little idea and enjoy the process. Many 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 batter, it will suck it up into the bottle.
- 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.
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.