Raw Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cashews
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (either use canned pumpkin or steam/puree fresh pumpkin)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Dash of salt

Crust Ingredients

• 20 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 1/2 cups nuts (I used a mix of almonds, pecans, and cashews; any will work well)
• 1/3 cup ground flax seed
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash of salt

Optional Toppings

• Drizzled almond butter
• Pumpkin seeds
• Pecans

Directions

1. Start by soaking your cashews in very hot water for about 60 minutes. This is to make sure that the cashews are really smooth when pureed.

2. Work on the crust while the cashews are soaking. Put the pitted dates in the food processor. Stop when the dates form a large bowl. Remove the blended dates from the processor and set aside.

3. Add the nuts, flax, cinnamon, coconut oil, and salt then process until you have a course meal. Add the dates back in. You might have to break the date ball into pieces so the dates are spread through the mixture. Process again until well blended, then press the crust dough into an 8×11 inch pan. Set the dough pan into the freezer as you work on the filling.

3. Once your cashews are through soaking in the hot water, drain them and add them to the food processor with the remaining filling ingredients and blend until smooth.

4. Remove the crust from the freezer, then spread the filling evenly onto the crust.

5. Cover the bars, then put back in the freezer and chill for a few hours or overnight.

6. To serve, simply remove from the freezer and let thaw until you can slice the bites, then add the almond butter, pecans, and pumpkin seeds on top.