Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bites

Like many people this time of year, I become obsessed with pumpkins - pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, and pumpkins, themselves. The warm flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg grow in popularity as the cold weather falls upon us. Not to mention that the east coast is painted with the colors of yellow, orange, purple, and red. Most pumpkin desserts I see in the store unfortunately have eggs or dairy in them. This recipe was a delicious mix of a pumpkin pie and cheesecake. 

 

Pumpkin pie cheesecake bites served with vegan gingersnap cookies and vegan whipped cream

Crust: 

2 cups vegan gingersnap cookies

1/2 cup vegan butter 

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice 

1/4 tsp clove

1/4 tsp ginger

Filling:

200 g raw cashews 

1/2 cup milk (I used cashew milk)

1/2 cup lemon juice 

1 cup pumpkin puree 

1 cup sugar 

1/4 cup corn starch 

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp cinnamon 

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp clove

1/2 tsp ginger 

1. In a blender, grind up your gingersnap cookies. Then melt 1/2 cup vegan butter in the microwave. 

2. In a casserole dish (I used glass), mix graham crackers and butter. Then pat down into the bottom of the dish to create the crust and set aside. 

3. In pot, boil cashews for 15 minutes on low heat to soften them up (you can also soak them overnight). Blend cashews up, adding water slowly to help aid the process. 

4. Pour the cashew cream and rest of the milk into a mixing bowl. Add your lemon juice, pumpkin puree, and vanilla, and mix. Then add your spices, sugar and corn starch. Mix well until all the corn starch clumps are gone. 

5. Then pour the mix into the casserole dish and bake the cheesecake in a 350°F oven for 40 minutes (ensure that the center of the cake is not a liquid by poking it with a toothpick or fork - it may still require a bit more time). 

6. Once the cheesecake has baked, place in the fridge overnight for it to set. Cut the cheesecake into small bars for them to be bite-sized pieces and serve. Enjoy!