No-bake chocolate cheesecake bars with a grain-free date-nut crust and dark chocolate cheesecake center finished with a sweet raspberry swirl.
Hiiiii how was your Valentine’s Day Weekend?
I was fortunate to have many opportunities to celebrate the love over the past few days.
On Valentine’s Day I did a Galentine’s Day dinner with my sister, then on Saturday I had a Valentine’s Day themed brunch with my bookclub.
If I’m being honest, I was a little bit apprehensive about the day.
This was my first Valentine’s Day as a single lady in over 15 years, so I wanted to make it especially sweet.
I watched RomComs with my long distance BFF long and ate plenty of Hu Kitchen chocolate, and even did a little retail therapy online.
Don’t worry, I left enough chocolate for this latest recipe.
If you didn’t get the chance to treat you and your loves with something sweet this V-Day, I’ve got just the thing.
These Raspberry Swirl Chocolate Cheesecake Bars scream self-care, self-love, and healthful indulgence.
They’re made with just 8-ingredients for a vegan, grain-free, and refined sugar-free treat.
The base of these bars starts with an easy gluten and grain-free date-nut crust.
Here’s what you need:
- raw almonds
- Medjool dates
I used raw almonds but you can sub basically any nut in its place to achieve a similar date-nut base layer.
For the best results, use Medjool dates that are super fresh and gooey.
If your dates are dried out, soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes to soften then drain and incorporate into the recipe.
Throw everything into a blender and process until you have a sticky ball.
The mixture should stick together but not be too wet to press into the pan.
If the mixture is too gooey, add a few more nuts.
If it’s true dry, add another date or two.
Moving right along to the filling– the real crowd pleaser here.
Here’s what you need:
- raw cashews
- virgin coconut oil
- full-fat coconut milk
- Hu Kitchen Cashew Butter + Raspberry Dark Chocolate
- unsweetened almond milk
- pure maple syrup
This layer is primarily cashew and coconut milk based to create a creamy dairy-free filling.
Pure maple syrup adds light sweetness and melted dark chocolate infuses everything with rich cacao.
Blend everything until super smooth and creamy, then pour over the base layer.
For the chocolate I used Hu Kitchen Cashew Butter + Raspberry Dark Chocolate.
I can’t imagine this recipe with any other chocolate bar.
This one is made with organic house-ground cacao and real organic raspberry.
The bar is 70% dark chocolate made from organic house-ground cacao.
It’s also paleo, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free!
Melt the chocolate over the stovetop and enjoy the way the kitchen starts to smell like a sweet toasted PB&J.
Now that your first two layers are done, let’s move to the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
Yes, I’m talking about the raspberry swirl!
You just need 2-ingredients to get swirlin’:
- fresh raspberries
- pure maple syrup
That’s it!
Rinse out the blender you dirtied up earlier and add the fresh raspberries and maple syrup to the basin.
Blend until completely puréed. then heat on the stovetop until it’s thick and sticky.
Spoon the raspberry mixture on top of the chocolate layer and prepare to have fun.
Drag a knife through the raspberry layer in a figure-8 pattern, swirling the raspberry with the chocolate.
Ditch perfection here– there is no perfect swirl!
Congrats– you completed your 3 layers with just 8 ingredients!
Now, onto the really hard part: sitting back and waiting while the bars harden in the freezer.
I know, it takes a lot of willpower to leave the melty chocolate-raspberry swirl situation untouched.
But don’t worry, the bars will be solid and ready for slicing within 1-2 hours.
If you’re preparing them for an event, I recommend making them the night before so they’re ready to go the following morning.
Once firm, remove the cheesecake from the parchment paper and slice into 9-12 bars.
Enjoy these Raspberry Swirl Chocolate Cheesecake Bars as a decadent no-bake dessert.
The swirled topping makes them feel fancy and elevated, so these are ideal for sharing!
They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, office parties, birthdays, or for your own frozen stash.
The bars will keep in the fridge for up to one week and in the freezer for several months.
If frozen, let the bars sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to slightly soften.
I love serving mine with more fresh raspberries.
Enjoy!
If you try these Raspberry Swirl Chocolate Cheesecake Bars, let me know! I’d love to hear what you think of them.
Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.
Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.
Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.
Want more easy no-bake cheesecake? Check out my Double Chocolate Cheesecake Bars and Chocolate Dipped Cashew Cheesecake Bites.
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XO Lauren
Raspberry Swirl Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9-12 bars
Description
No-bake chocolate cheesecake bars with a grain-free date-nut crust and dark chocolate cheesecake center finished with a sweet raspberry swirl.
Ingredients
BASE LAYER
- 1 1/2 cups raw almonds
- 1 cup Medjool dates
CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE LAYER
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews quick-soaked in hot water for 30 mins
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (or sub coconut butter if oil-free)
- 1 14-oz. can full-fat coconut milk (hard creamy parts only)
- 1 cup Hu Kitchen Cashew Butter + Raspberry Dark Chocolate bar, chopped
- 2 TBSP unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
RASPBERRY SWIRL
- 1 pint (~1 1/2 cups) fresh raspberries (or sub frozen)
- 1 TBSP pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- Before you start anything else, quick-soak your cashews by adding raw cashews to a bowl with enough boiling hot water to cover them. Soak for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- First, create your base layer crust. Add dates and raw almonds to a high speed blender and pulse until well combined. Transfer mixture to the parchment-lined baking dish and spread into an even layer with your hands or the back of a spatula. Keep pressing until it’s evenly distributed and well packed. This may take a few minutes. Refrigerate the crust until filling is ready.
- Next, create the chocolate cheesecake filling. Melt the chopped chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
- Add soaked cashews to a high speed blender with melted coconut oil, coconut milk, melted dark chocolate, almond milk, and maple syrup. Mix on high until very creamy and smooth. Pour filling over the raw crust and spread into an even layer with the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- Finally, create the raspberry swirl. Place your raspberries and maple syrup in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat over medium high until thick and sticky, about 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into the pan on top of the chocolate cheesecake layer. Using a knife, make swirls, or “figure eights” into the raspberry layer to achieve a swirled look with the chocolate.
- Transfer baking dish to refrigerator to allow to chill for 1-2 hours before serving. To serve, slice into squares and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, for up to one week. For a frozen treat, stash these bars in the freezer instead for long term storage!
- Prep Time: 60 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake, Blender
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free
This post is brought to you by Hu Kitchen, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!
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