Ingredients
For The Cheesecake:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flax meal
- 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons warm water
- 1 1/4 cups roasted cashews covered in water and soaked overnight
- 2/3 cups pumpkin purée
- 5 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
For The Crust:
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil room temperature, should be softened to the texture of butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 6 tablespoons coconut flour sifted
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
For The Face:
- 2 ounces dark chocolate
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil melted
- Mint sprigs for the stems
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flax meal and warm water and place into the refrigerator to gel while you make the cheesecake.
- Place the soaked cashews into a high-powered blender (make sure you drain the water into the sink first!) along with all of the other ingredients for the cheesecake. Purée until thick, smooth, and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Set aside while you make the crust. (Note that you want to pour the cheesecake onto the crust as soon as it's out of the oven, which is why it's best to prepare the cheesecake first.)
- In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil and maple syrup for the crust until smooth. Stir in the coconut flour, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt until well mixed.
- Divide the dough by lightly heaping teaspoons between a 12-cavity mini-cheesecake pan, pressing out evenly.
- Bake until the crust appears just set, about 5 minutes.
- When the crust has about 2 minutes left to bake, transfer the cashew mixture into a large bowl and pour in the flax mixture from the refrigerator. Stir until the flax mixture is evenly combined with the cashew cream.
- Remove the crusts from the oven. These with most likely have risen in a few spots, so use a small spoon to flatten your crusts, making sure to smooth out any cracks.
- Immediately fill each cavity just over 3/4 full with the pumpkin-cashew mixture.
- Bake until the cheesecakes have slightly risen and the outside appears set and firm, about 11-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the counter. Then, cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours until completely set.
- Once set, place the chocolate and coconut oil and in small, microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave using 30 second intervals on half power, stirring between each interval, until smooth and melted.
- Drizzle the chocolate over each cheesecake to create a Jack-O'-Lantern face (I put my melted chocolate in a small squeeze tube to make it easier).
- Stick a mint sprig in the top of each pumpkin to create the stem.
- Enjoy!