Creamsicle Vegan Cheesecake Bars

These raw vegan cheesecake bars have a creamy vanilla base and bright orange topping, to taste like a creamsicle! They're a healthy, no-bake treat for the Summer!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45

Total Time 45

Servings Bars

Calories 185kcal

Author FoodFaithFitness

Ingredients

For the oranges:

1 Large orange
1/2 Cup Honey *
1/2 Cup Water

For the crust:

2/3 Cup Raw cashews (93g)
1/2 Cup Loosely packed dates (70g)
1/2 tsp Water

For the filling:

2 Cups Raw cashews, Soaked in water overnight (280g)
1/4 Cup Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 Cup Orange juice (not from concentrate)
3 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Amoretti Natural Vanilla Bean Artisan Flavoring (19g)
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Make the orange sauce:

Zest the orange and set it aside for later (you should have about 2 tsp, packed.) Slice about 1 inch off the end of each orange, and then VERY THINLY** slice the remaining piece width-wise. Make sure it stays together, but slice it as thin as possible
Combine the honey and water in a large pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the oranges, making sure they are covered in the liquid. Reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the oranges are translucent*** but still hold their shape, about 35-40 mins.

Make the crust:

Line the bottom of an 8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an over hang to use as a handle later.
In a large food processor, process the cashews until crumbly. Add in the dates and continue to process until crumbly and mixed. With the food processor running, stream in the water and process until the mixture starts to come together.
Transfer the crust into the prepared pan and press out firmly and evenly - I find it helps to hold a piece of parchment paper to press out, if the crust sticks to your fingers. Place into the freezer while you make the filling.

To make the filling:

Add all of the filling ingredients, along with the orange zest, into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Pour into the chilled crust and smooth out evenly.
By this point, your oranges should be done. Use a slotted spoon and VERY carefully remove them one-at-a-time from the pot, place them on top of the cashew cream. Try not to overlap too much, but a little bit is okay.
Drizzle 1 Tbsp of the cooking liquid over top of the oranges (try not to get too much of it onto the actual exposed cream) and then discard the rest.****
Place into the freezer until hard, at least 5 hours to overnight.
To serve: let stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, slice and DEVOUR!

Notes

*You can also use agave for a vegan version

**If you don't slice these thin enough, it makes the bars bitter, so get them nice and thin!

***Again, make sure they are translucent. If they're not cooked enough, they are bitter.

****You will not be actually eating all of the honey, so only 1/2 of the amount called for is included in the nutritional information.

Nutrition