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Baked Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time4 hours 25 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time5 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 269kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup unsalted walnuts and pecans (or just use one of the two)
  • 20 ginger snap cookies
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Cream Cheese Filling

  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 8 hours/overnight and drained well)
  • 1/2 cup solidified coconut cream (refrigerated 24 hours)*
  • 1 cup vegan cream cheese, softened** (Tofutti brand recommended)
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling

  • 1 1/4 cups pumpkin purée
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated recommended
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice

Instructions

  • Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) square pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with coconut oil to prevent sticking. Preheat the oven to 350°F (~176°C).
  • Make the Crust: place the walnuts, pecans, gingersnaps, salt, and cocoa powder in a food processor and blend until the nuts and cookies are until mostly pulverized. With the motor running, pour in the melted coconut oil, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed.
  • Once you have a slightly sticky texture that you can press together, press it evenly and firmly along the bottom of the prepared pan.
  • Make the Cream Cheese Filling: Add the soaked cashews and solid coconut cream to a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles ricotta cheese. Add the remaining Cream Cheese Filling ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. It will take a few minutes to fully pulverize the cashews.
  • Transfer 3/4 cup of the Cream Cheese Filling to a bowl and set aside.
  • Make the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling: To the remaining Cream Cheese Filling in the food processor, add the pumpkin purée, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Blend until combined.
  • Pour the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling over the crust. Dollop the Cream Cheese Filling on top and swirl with a toothpick or skewer to create a marbled effect.
  • Bake in the oven at 350°F (~176°C) for 40-50 minutes, or until the edges look very slightly dry and the center appears just a little jiggly but not wiggly.
  • Let the bars rest for 10-15 minutes at room temperature, then transfer the pan to the refrigerator to let cool completely, for at least 4 hours or overnight. Slice into bars when ready to serve.

Video

Notes

*There is 1/2-3/4 cup of solid coconut cream in a 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk. You can also buy canned coconut cream separately.
**Don’t have vegan cream cheese? Use 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (instead of 1 cup) and 1 cup coconut cream (instead of 1/2 cup)