Collagen Raspberry Rose Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Be mine meowentine! If you’re looking for a fun, easy, & delicious way to treat someone sweet this Valentine’s Day, these cats are a piece of cake! Combining 2 Valentine’s staples, chocolate & roses into a dessert that’s super creamy, crunchy and the purrrfect combination of tart & sweet without any gluten, refined sugar or dairy. The velvety texture of these Raspberry Rose Cheesecakes comes from a combination of cashews and Great Lakes Collagen. Recipe by @luxeandthelady

1. Serves: 10

Ingredients

Raspberry Rose Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 ¼ cups soaked cashews*
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk (plus more as needed for blending) 
• 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon rose water
• 4 scoops Great Lakes Collagen Peptides
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or 9-12 drops liquid Stevia for non-glycemic (sweeten to taste) 
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 teaspoons pink pitaya powder (optional, for extra color) 
• Silicone dome mold
• *see directions below for tips to soak the cashews

Chocolate Graham Crackers: (makes 10 2 3/4″ cookies)

• *Modified from Sweet Laurel Bakery‘s Graham Cracker Recipe
• 1 cup almond flour
• ¼ cup arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons ghee or unrefined coconut oil (for dairy free), melted
• 2 3/4″ round cookie cutter
• Parchment paper

Cat Decorations:

• 10 chocolate jimmies
• Marzipan
• Red and blue natural food coloring (I used beet juice and blue spirulina) 
• Pink Fondant or fresh berries (for the cheeks) 
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 tsp coconut oil (optional, to smooth the chocolate) 
• Toothpicks
• Wax paper 

Directions

• To soak the cashews (which makes it easier to blend them), stir ½ TB sea salt into 2 ½ cups filtered water, and add the cashews. Cover with a clean dishtowel and allow the cashews to sit on the counter for 3 hours. Before using, rinse and drain the cashews until the water coming off of them is clear. 
• Use a clean paper towel dipped into the melted coconut oil to lightly grease each dome mold cavity. Set aside. 
• Place the soaked cashews, along with the other filling ingredients, into a high-speed blender, and blend on high for at least 1 minute until smooth. You can add pink pitaya powder as needed for color and sweeten to taste. 
• Pour the filling into the prepared silicone mold, filling each cavity to the top (I find it easiest to pour from a small measuring cup). You can use an offset spatula to smooth the filling. Transfer to the freezer. 
• Time to make the cookie crusts! Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, and ghee or coconut oil, and stir into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. 
• Roll the dough out to 1/4″, between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Use the round cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can, re-rolling the dough as needed. Place them at least 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. 
• Transfer the cookie cutouts to the freezer for 10 minutes. 
• Bake for 15 minutes, then allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will crisp up more the longer they are left to cool. 
• While the cheesecake sets we can work on the cat decorations :). Heat the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small heatproof bowl, for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir, and continue to heat in 30 second intervals until completely smooth and melted. 
• Use a toothpick dipped into the chocolate to draw the eyes and nose for each cat onto wax paper. Allow to set. 
• Cut a 2-inch section off of the marzipan and add the red and blue natural coloring until you achieve a shade similar to that of the cheesecakes. Form 2 triangles for each cat’s ears, roll 2 little log shapes for each set of legs, and 1 longer log shape for the tail. 
• When you are ready to eat the cheesecakes carefully remove them from the silicone mold, and place each on top of a chocolate graham cracker (an offset spatula makes this easier). 
• Use a toothpick to help transfer the chocolate details to the top of each dome. Add the fondant or fruit cheeks (you can use the end of a large round piping tip to punch them out of berries), and the marzipan legs, tails, and ears. Serve immediately with extra fresh berries and coconut whipped cream. 
• Leftover cheesecakes and cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer (just leave them out at room temp for at least 10 minutes before serving to soften).