These no bake chocolate berry bars are extremely creamy and delicious. They have just the perfect balance of sweet/tart and are incredibly easy to make. The no bake cashew-based filling is meant to mimic a cheesecake layer and the crust is absolutely heavenly with a crunchy texture. It is family friendly and will soon become one of your favorite desserts!
Just wanted to let you know this berry bars recipe is sponsored by my friends at One Degree Organics!
Boy, has it been an exciting week here at our house. Baby Sophie is growing SO quickly, and I can't seem to keep up with her most days.
Translation: She keeps me up at night, and I have been getting severely behind on putting out recipes. Have no fear though.
This one is truly worth the wait. I've teamed up with One Degree Organics to bring you the most fabulous cheesecake bars I've ever made.
Yes, I know- I have tons of cheesecake recipes. I think that's because it is my favorite dessert to make, and I love how creative you can get with the crust ingredients, add-ins and toppings.
For this vegan cheesecake, I used sprouted Cacao O's as the main ingredient for the base. The end result is a sticky and sweet crust that is full of so much crunch and texture.
I've been meaning to change up the traditional vegan cheesecake base that I usually make.
Sure, it's easy and delicious, but I knew the Cacao O's addition would make the crust taste even better.
There is something to be said about these things... they remind me of a *much* better-for-you version of the cocoa puffs I used to eat growing up.
I cannot wait to be able to provide baby Sophie with better-for-you versions of all of my favorite foods I used to eat while I was growing up.
She is going to be so darn spoiled.
But she will have impeccable taste. Hehe.
Feel free to use any kind of berries or fruit that you'd like to top off these vegan cheesecake bars.
If you'd like the filling to be more sweet or tart, simply adjust the amount of sweetener and lemon juice that you use.
Isn't it wonderful how this recipe can be completely customizable to your taste preferences? I sure think so! 🙂
Now looking at these photos, I am thinking it would have been perfect to make and bring to a 4th of July get together. It's so darn festive like that.
Next year, I know what I'll be contributing. I'll need to make a double batch, so I can have a stash to myself in the freezer.
More like this:
Easy Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake
Paleo Pecan Caramel Cheesecake Bars
No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Now that I think of it, I think I would have liked these even more had I dipped the strawberries in some dark chocolate.
I think that is something I will need to do next time. I can turn these into dark chocolate covered strawberry vegan cheesecake bars... how good does that sound?!
Until then, Tim and I will be chowing down on these babies. They are the perfect dessert or snack... as they are not overbearingly sweet at all.
You can eat one, two or five of these, and you won't feel like you've consumed massive amounts of sugar. Pretty amazing, huh?
Be sure to give these mixed berry gluten free vegan cheesecake bars a try as soon as you can.
They're going to be a real crowd pleaser, and your whole family will be sure to love them!
No Bake Chocolate Berry Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups Sprouted Cacao O's
- ½ cup pecans
- pinch of sea salt
- 10-12 Medjool dates see notes
- 2 ½ tablespoons coconut oil
Cheesecake Layer
- 2 cups raw cashews soaked in boiling water for 1 ½ hours
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup canned coconut milk
- 2 ½ tablespoons coconut oil at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling hot water. Let set, uncovered, for 1 ½ hours. Rinse and drain thoroughly.
- Line an 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside as well.
- Combine the Cacao O's, pecans and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for about 1 minute until thoroughly combined. Add the dates and coconut oil. Continue pulsing until the mixture is very sticky to the touch and holds together well. See notes.
- Transfer the mixture into the parchment lined baking pan. Use an offset spatula or some warm water and your fingers to evenly press it across the bottom and slightly up the sides.
- Rinse and dry the bowl of the food processor. You can also use a high-speed blender. Add all of the filling ingredients and pulse for 45 seconds to 1 minute until everything is smooth and creamy. Taste to adjust for lemon juice and sweetener. Pour the filling into the crust. Place in the freezer to set for about 4 hours. Overnight is preferred.
- After it has set, carefully remove them and cut them into slices. Be sure to use a wet and hot knife to ensure an easy cutting process. Enjoy after they've sit out for about 15-20 minutes to defrost!
Notes
- Be sure to bring all of your filling ingredients to room temperature before you begin. Otherwise, your filling will not be smooth!
- Use 10-12 dates depending on the texture of the crust. You want it to be quite sticky and stick together easily when pressed against the side of your food processor.
Ellen says
several of these gluten and vegan creamy desserts are frozen--do they need to stay frozen? Could I serve take them to a party and leave them out?
Yes you could leave them out for a bit!!!