Mini Chai Banana Cheesecakes

 

Food sounds much more appealing when it’s in miniature form. I think it has something to do with the fact you can eat mini food items with your hands, which makes it easy to grab and mingle at social functions.

 

The idea for mini cheesecakes isn’t new, but did you know that a delicious cheesecake can be made using cashews? The cashews are soaked in a liquid for 3 hours and then blended to make a creamy faux cheesecake base, which is significantly healthier than using regular cream cheese; plus it’s a great option for those people who are dairy-free or vegan. I soaked my cashews in freshly brewed chai tea, which added a nice spicy flavor to the nuts. Instead of using white sugar for sweetness, I used two bananas and a little honey, this also increased the bulk of the cheesecake layer. I bet anyone who reads my blog regularly must think I have a banana obsession, but they go so well in desserts! Maybe I’ll create a blueberry cheesecake in the near future for those anti-banana folks.

 

The healthy crust is made using only oats and figs (I like the crunchiness the tiny fig seeds add). I used a regular muffin tin and liners, but you could even make these bite-size using a mini muffin tin. The final product is frozen to get that dense cheesecake feel; simply thaw at room temperature for five minutes before eating. These are great when you just want a taste of something cold, sweet, and creamy, but don’t want to sacrifice good nutrition.

 

 

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{Mini Chai Banana Cheesecakes}

A healthy cheesecake made with soaked cashews, bananas, figs, oats and flavored with spicy chai. Cashews are full of antioxidants and are a heart healthy nut. Vegan friendly, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

 

Adapted from: This Rawsome Vegan Life Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake

Servings: 9 – using a regular muffin tin

 

Ingredients

2 individual chai tea bags

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup oats (use certified gluten-free if you’re sensitive to gluten or celiac)

1/2 cup dried figs-about 10 figs

• Note: if figs are really dried out, soak in water for 1 hour, then drain, before blending, and if you don’t want any seeds, feel free to use dates.

2 medium bananas

1/4 cup honey (strict vegans can use brown rice syrup or maple syrup)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

 

Directions

1. Steep both tea bags in 8 oz hot water for 5 minutes.

2. Place cashews in a bowl and pour the hot tea over the nuts; let them soak for 3 hours, leaving the tea bags in the bowl with the cashews. Add more water if cashews aren’t completely covered.

3. While the cashews soak, combine oats and figs in a food processor and blend on high until figs are chopped into tiny pieces and mixture sticks together.

4. Divide oat/fig mixture evenly between the nine muffin liners and press firmly to form crust.

5. After 3 hours, pour off liquid from cashews. For cheesecake topping, blend cashews, bananas, honey, cinnamon, and cloves in a food processor or a high speed blender until smooth. You may have to push the mixture down with a spoon occasionally to ensure no chunks.

I do have a Vitamix I normally use for blending, but I used my cheap food processor that attaches to my old blender for this recipe, just to make sure everyone could make it, and it still turned out pretty smooth. I don’t mind a few lumps anyway.

6. Spoon cheesecake mixture evening onto crusts, and freeze for 4 hours. Remove muffin liner and let cheesecake soften at room temp for 5 minutes before eating.

 

 

Nutrition info (based on 9): 170 calories, 7 g fat (1 g sat fat), 3.5 g pro, 27 g carb, 3 g fiber

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