This recipe is out-of-this-world good. After all, how could you go wrong when combining brownie, cheesecake, walnuts and dark chocolate chips?? It makes for a scrumptious combination of flavours and textures that come together to create the perfect, decadent dessert. Tasting it you would NEVER know that it’s also gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free. Win, win, win all around!

Check out some of the great subsitutions used to maket these bars:

• flax meal and water as a binder instead of egg

• coconut oil instead of butter

• coconut sugar and maple syrup instead of refined sugar

• almond meal and gluten-free flour instead of wheat flour

• cashews and tofu instead of cream cheese

Make this for your next dinner party, birthday party or Netflix night in and let us know how you like them in the comments below!

Brownie Cheesecake Bars

Vegan & Gluten-free

Makes 9 squares

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer:

• 2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal

• 5 Tablespoons water

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 cup gluten-free all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup almond meal (or almond flour-same thing)

• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

• 2 Tablespoons dark chocolate chips

Cheesecake Layer:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour and drained

• 1 cup coconut cream (from a can)

• 8 ounces extra-firm silken tofu

• 1 Tablespoon tapioca starch

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup maple syrup

• 1 Tablespoon melted coconut oil

• zest from 1 lemon

• juice from 1 lemon

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Chocolate Swirl (Optional):

• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

To make the brownie layer:

• Combine the flax meal and water in a small bowl and let it sit.

• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Add the flax/water mixture and whisk to combine. Add the sea salt, cocoa and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Add the flour and almond meal and mix to combine using a spatula.

• Pour brownie batter into baking dish and smooth with spatula. Sprinkle with walnuts and chocolate chips.

To make the cheesecake layer:

• Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth, silky and creamy. You may have to scrape down the sides. Taste and adjust flavors according to your taste.

• Pour cheesecake layer on top of brownie layer. Tilt pan to even out.

• To add chocolate swirl, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil over a double boiler. Pour over cheesecake batter and use a chopstick to create little figure 8 motions to swirl the chocolate into the cheesecake.

• Place in oven for 30 minutes, then rotate pan and bake for another 20 minutes. The cheesecake layer should be firm and slightly golden around the edges and slightly loose in the center (but not liquid-like).

• Let it cool at room temperature and then transfer to fridge for 5 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Brownie Cheesecake Bars: Vegan, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar-free appeared first on The Hearty Soul.