My whole life I have been lactose intolerant; I could never eat yogurt or drink milk with my cereal. Honestly, I never really had it growing up so when I had to cut out dairy completely it was a relatively easy transition. I grew up on almond milk so that was simple, but what got me was the cheese. I LOVE cheese. It made my stomach feel awful, but it made my heart the happiest. I love cheesy bread, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and everything in between. You could find me drinking queso if I was feeling it. While the little stomach pain I had was worth it then, over the years it made my situation worse. When I got diagnosed with Crohns and I made the decision so cut it out all together, I have never felt better. I feel like my digestion is back on track for the most part.
Ever since I cut out all dairy, I have been trying to find legitimate good alternatives to some of my favorite foods. I have had great success with things like cream cheese (Kite Hill) and yogurt (Forager). Something I have been searching for is a good alternative to dairy in baking. For this recipe I subbed the usual cheesecake ingredients for something I would never thought possible: cashews! I was never a baker when I was younger, I actually hated being in the kitchen. I didn’t know the first thing about baking, so cashews in a cheesecake? I didn’t even know what that meant! I hope you guys like it as much as I do!
Tip: this makes a big batch! I used about half for the big cheesecake “muffins” and the other half for mini cheesecake bites. Both are equally good and fun to eat
Ingredients:
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1 1/2 cups cashews (soaked)
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Juice from 1 large lemon
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1/4 cup applesauce double chocolate mint cookies (or any flavors)
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1/4 cup honey
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1/2 cup fresh raspberries (and an extra little handful to top)
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Optional: one bag of Emmy’s Organics double chocolate mint cookies (or any flavor)
Recipe:
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Soak cashews. I did mine overnight! Throw them in a bowl with some water and soak until they’re soft. This is important so you have a nice smooth mixture.
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Add all ingredients (except the cookies) into a blender and blend until totally smooth.
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Using a rubber muffin tin (or a lined regular muffin tin) press one or two cookies into the bottom of four of the muffins. You can use your fingers to press them in tightly and ensure it’s one flat bottom.
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Pour the cashew raspberry mixture on top of each cookie bottom until it’s all covered. I poured enough to fill until the top.
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Optional: press two raspberries into the top of each one and freeze overnight. Carefully remove and enjoy!
This might be kind of confusing, so I tried my best to explain! If you have any questions please let me know. Happy baking!
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