Vegan and Gluten Free Mini Cheesecakes❤

Yesterday, I promised that I would post a mini cheesecake recipe for today. These cute little cakes are absolutely delicious. Made with cashews and tofu, they're packed with protein and super filling. They're gluten free, and  I tried to limit the sugar, so they're healthier than your regular cheesecake. Did I mention that they taste exactly like real cheesecake? Well, they do. :)

NOTE: if you make these in cupcake tins, use aluminum liners so that the dough doesn't stick.  

So anyways, the recipe is below. Enjoy!

I've been devouring these precious little cheesecakes since they came out of the oven. (Clearly I shouldn't have been eating them at 10:31PM last night).

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1/2 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tbsp. crushed walnuts (optional)
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 teensy tiny drop of oil (about 1/4 tsp. - just to bind the dough a little)

For the Filling:

1/2 cup tofu, mashed
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least an hour
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. coconut oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. agave
 1/4 tsp. salt (maybe a little more)

For the Whipped Topping: (adapted from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook)

1/2 cups frozen berries (for garnish)
1 cup tofu, drained and mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp, coconut oil (optional)
1 tsp.vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

Makes 6-ish mini cheesecakes.
Total Cook Time: about 45 minutes.

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add all of the filling ingredients to your food processor, and process the mixture until it's smooth and creamy.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together all of the crust ingredients until a dough is formed.

3. Heat the frozen berries in a small saucepan on medium heat until a sauce has formed, about 7 minutes.

4. For the whipped topping, add the 1 cup tofu, canola oil, coconut oil, almond milk, agave nectar, vanilla extract, and salt to your food processor, and process it until it's whipped.

5. Add  a spoonful of the crust mixture to the bottoms of each of the 6 aluminum cupcake tins or into 6 small ramekins, and pack it down to form a crust. Fill the remainder of the cupcake tins/ramekins with the filling.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the mini cheesecakes cool on the counter, and then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Before serving, top each cheesecake with the whipped topping and berry sauce.