You can't deny the allure of a cheese-like dessert, when sweet cravings appear full blown on a Sunday evening. I'm one to always keep raw desserts in the fridge like cookie dough balls, raw chocolate bark, and tahini fudge, but a cheesecake made from cashews is always a challenge, so I leave it for Sundays where I want to spend more time in the kitchen soaking the nuts, figuring out interesting flavors and experimenting.
I'm a huge lover of tahini. Black sesame seeds bring such a dark cosmic flavor to something sweet. I first fell in love with this idea when having a scoop of the black sesame ice cream you find in Chinatown NYC (I'm yet to visit Japan or China, so this was the closest I could get). I find it blends so well with the sweetness of dates and the creaminess of the coconut and cashews.
If I can get any kind of adaptogen or herb into my sweets without it tasting bad, I'm all for it. I'll usually go for a variety of mushroom, as their benefits for boosting immunity and overall grounding during the Winter months are astounding. I've been taking Chaga for the past three years in morning cacao elixirs or sweet treats and have noticed a significant calming of my adrenals and daily stresses. The mushroom taste is also easily masked by the darkness of the black sesame and the caramel taste of the medjool dates.
I'd suggest you're making a huge mistake if you don't attempt to make this! It's delicious, full of good fats and a fantastic way to get your daily dose of mushrooms or get your friend who doesn't like the taste of mushrooms onto mushrooms. It's one of my most-loved creations. It's truly to die for.
Baby Black Sesame Walnut Chaga Cheesecakes
(Makes 8)
IngredientsFilling1 cup organic soaked cashews 1 cup full fat coconut cream 1/2 cup organic medjool dates 1/2 cup black sesame seeds 2 tbsp. melted coconut oil Pinch organic cinnamon 2 tbsp. Sun Potion Chaga Crust1/2 cup black sesame seeds 1 cup ground almonds 1/2 cup medjool dates 1 tbsp. melted coconut oil Optional toppingssesame seeds organic walnuts cacao nibs |
MethodBlend crust ingredients in a high speed processor until it starts to bind together Using a muffin tray push down two tablespoon amounts onto the bottom layer of the eight compartments Place in the fridge to cool and set While the base is in the fridge, place all of the filling ingredients into the food processor and blend until completely smooth Remove the bases from the fridge and pour the mixture into each of the muffin tins Top with cacao nibs, organic walnuts or sesame seeds Keeps in the freezer for one month. Keeps in the fridge for 6 days. |
All images courtesy of Georgie Holt
If you enjoyed this recipe by Georgie, click here to discover her Matcha Vanilla Moon Cookies.