As promised I am sharing 2 posts today instead of one to celebrate Beard and Bonnet’s belated 1st birthday. Since we are in the throws of an amazing giveaway here on B&B from the great people of Food Should Taste Good, I thought that it would only be fitting to share a treat that I make at home with one of their products. As I mentioned in our giveaway post, I am slightly addicted to Food Should Taste Good’s chocolate tortilla chips. I have been experimenting with them quite often in our kitchen lately. From dipping them in coconut whipped cream to smothering them with strawberry salsa, I simply cannot seem to get enough of them.
Last week I had the overwhelming urge to eat cheesecake, but not just an ordinary cheesecake; I needed this one from Tasty Yummies! You see, Beth and Mark came to our house for dinner a while back and brought that beautiful little no-bake vegan cheesecake and it was divine. I have been pining away for another tasty bite of that cake for weeks now. I had a slice with every meal for 2 days, I am a glutton, I know! Last week when I was tasting my way through the delicious goody box that Food Should Taste Good sent me it hit me, why not incorporate my favorite chocolate tortilla chips into the crust of a cheesecake similar to Beth’s?! I figured since I love grinding their savory chips up into tasty breading for veggies and tofu, maybe the chocolate chips would work for a dessert crust. Oh man, did I hit the jackpot on this idea. Have you ever used chips in a dessert before?
Vanilla “Cheesecake” with Chocolate Chip Crust
A delicious healthy alternative to cheesecake utilizing raw soaked cashews for the filling and our favorite Food Should Taste Good snack chips for the crust.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
- 1 cup crushed chocolate Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips
- 1/2 cup fresh Medjool dates, pits removed & roughly chopped
- 1–2 Tbsp. water
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the filling
- 2 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked at least a few hours preferably overnight
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, in liquid state
- 1/2 cup local raw honey
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod, scraped clean or 1 Tbsp. pure g-free vanilla extract
For the topping
- 1 –2 handfuls chocolate Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips
- 1–2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- chocolate shavings
- Fresh fruit, optional
Instructions
To make the crust
- Pulse the macadamia nuts in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade until they turn into a fine grind. Add in the dates, crushed chocolate Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips, salt, and 1 tablespoon of water. Process by pulsing until the mixture begins to stick together and the pieces are all uniform in size with some larger chunks of nuts and dates mixed in for texture. The crust mixture should clump together when you you pinch it between your fingertips, but not stick to your hands at all. If your crust is too dry at this point to stick together when tested add an additional tablespoon of water and process again.
- Line a round 8-inch spring form pan with parchment paper on the bottom, then gently press the crust into the pan evenly. Make sure to press some of the crust up the sides of the pan to form a nice crust around the edges of your “cheesecake”. Set aside.
To make the filling
- Drain and rinse the pre-soaked cashews. Add the cashews, warm but not hot coconut oil, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla seeds into a clean food processor bowl fitted with the “S” blade. Process on high for 5-7 minutes until the mixture is silky smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice.
- Pour the filling over the crust, gently tap the pan on the counter to help any air bubbles work their way out . Smooth the top of your “cheesecake” with a silicone spatula o the back of a spoon then freeze for 2-3 hours until set.
Assemble
- Once the cake has set in the freezer carefully remove the outer ring of the spring form pan. Gently sift cocoa powder over the top of the cake until lightly coated. Sprinkle semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate shavings over the top of the cake. Right before serving mound a small handful of fresh chocolate Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips in the center to give the cake a little crunch. Serve immediately.
Meg! Happy Bloggity Birthday!!! So happy that you started this wonderful space and that we have been able to connect in the blogosphere (is that a thing? I feel like it’s probably a thing.) Furthermore… this cheesecake?! Are you kidding me?! EHRMAGHERD. I want to eat this for breakfast… mostly because it’s breakfast time RIGHT NOW. Chocolate chip crust is kind of genius.
Thanks Gina!!! I am so glad we met too, and I also think that the blogosphere is a real place. I can’t wait to actually meet up in person, it’s going to be a little epic! I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t eaten a slice or two of this for breakfast myself;)
OH MY YES! I am all about cashew cheesecake and this one looks amazing–I love the idea of using those chocolate tortilla chips as a crust! And also, yay, Happy Birthday to Beard & Bonnet! I am throwing handfuls of confetti in your general direction! (Which is west now!)
Thanks Kiersten, those chips have become a snacking addiction for me! I have been trying to find ways to fit them into everything and anything.:) I am so glad that we have become friends over the past year and can’t wait to hopefully meet you in person in the future.
What a gorgeous-looking cheesecake. I was going to say I thought it’d go well with berries and then scrolled up again and realized you’d thought of that, too! I’ve actually never tried the chocolate variety of Food Should Taste Good chips (it always just sounded a little odd), but now I want to.
YAY!! Happy Blog Birthday Meg!!! What a great way to celebrate, too! So excited you used my recipe for inspiration on this one. You knocked it out of the park, girl! This looks incredible. I need to try those chocolate tortilla chips asap, right up my alley!! xoxo
Thanks Beth! I am telling you I have had dreams about that cheesecake you brought to our house, it was sooooo good. I love the chocolate chips because they are the perfect mix of sweet and savory in the same bite, I know you would like them.
This cheesecake looks stunning! Chocolate chip crust? I think yes. Thank you.
Beautiful photos, too. Pinning this!! 🙂
Thanks Abbie!!
OK. I think being honest from the start would help here. I’m not particularly fond of cheesecake. I’m more of a mousse or cake sort of person. I know! The heresy!
But I was scouting around and your photos just tripped me up. That looks slobbering-on-the-keyboard gorgeous!
Amrita, thank you so very much! I prefer cashew “cheesecakes” like this one instead of traditional cream cheese cheesecakes due to flavor and texture, so I totally get it.
This looks wonderful! I love the idea of a chocolate chip crust – sounds absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much Ashley!
This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing. I was wondering, would a different oil work? I know coconut oil has different properties to other oils by virtue of it being solid at room temperature but I can’t eat coconut of any kind so wondered if you had any ideas?
Jess,
Thank you! Unfortunately I don’t know that another oil would substitute in this recipe for the coconut oil. I will keep an eye out for a replacement and will keep you posted:)
Hi!
Love the look of this ‘cheesecake’! I have been looking for a cheese alternative for a while and just have a couple of questions:
1. How do you store this once made? In the freezer? Do you have to defrost it before serving?
2. How long does it last for? 1 week? less/more?
3. Can you change the cream flavor by substituting the lemon juice & honey?
Thanks so much! Keep up the beautiful baking!
Hi Joanne,
Thank you so much!
1. You will want to store the cake in the freezer until it has set and then defrost it before removing from the pan. If you plan on eating within a day or two store it in the fridge if you will be storing it longer keep it in the freezer.
2. I have never kept one for longer than 5 days, but that is because we eat them so fast.
3. Yes, you can change out he flavors quite easily with this recipe, even in the crust by trying different nuts and spices.
I hope this helps and that you really enjoy the “cheesecake”!
Hi,
Is there anything i can replace the chocolate tortilla chips with? I think i can`t buy them here.
Thanks
Hi Carmen, try subbing slivered almonds for the chocolate tortilla chips and add a tablespoon or so of cocoa 🙂