Chocolate Maqui Berry Mini Cheesecakes

Recipe characteristics

• Hazelnut crust topped with two creamy layers: dark chocolate layer and maqui berry white chocolate layer on top
• Rich and creamy texture
• No oven required
• Perfect to serve up for holidays, birthdays, or any other special occasion
• Dietary requirements: vegan (dairy-free), gluten-free, and soy-free

Notes on ingredients

• Dry roasted hazelnuts: Roasting hazelnuts deepens their flavor and gives them a crisper texture. Check How to roast hazelnuts for more info.
• Coconut flour: Coconut flour is made from coconut flesh that has been dried and finely ground. It’s not the same as shredded or desiccated coconut.
• Dates: Use any variety as long as they’re soft and moist. If you only have dry dates, put them in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until soft.
• Cashews: They provide rich and creamy texture.  Make sure to soak them at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
• Coconut cream: Always use full-fat canned coconut milk or the cheesecakes won’t turn out creamy. Chill it in the refrigerator overnight so that you can easily separate cream from the liquid. The cream should be firm enough so that you can scoop it out with a spoon.
• Dark chocolate: For this recipe I used dark chocolate with 85% cocoa solids.
• Vegan white chocolate: Choose good quality vegan white chocolate with rich and creamy texture. It can be found in large grocery stores or health food stores.
• Agave syrup: You can substitute it with maple syrup.
• Lemon juice: It adds a little extra flavor. 
• Maqui berry powder: Maqui berry powder is freeze-dried, which is the best method available to preserve the valuable nutrients found in this amazing berry. You can find it online or in many local health food stores.  If you don’t have maqui berry powder but you still want your cheesecakes to have this gorgeous purple hue, try mixing blue spirulina and pink pitaya powder instead. For more ideas on natural food colorings, check out Color Me Naturally – a quick guide to natural food colorings.

How to make it

Soaking cashews:  Put cashews in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours.

Soaking dates: Put pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until soft.

Note: To ensure an ultra-smooth texture of the cashew cream, it’s important to use a high-speed blender.

Crust

• Drain dates really well after soaking them – you can use a fork to remove any excess water.
• Place roasted hazelnuts (check How to roast hazelnuts), coconut flour, and dates into the food processor and process until the mixture sticks together.
• Once it’s all combined, spread the mixture into 12 silicone mold tall cylinders (5 cm diameter, 5 cm in height) and press down firmly to form the base.

Dark chocolate layer

• Melt chocolate in a small pot over low heat. Stir until smooth.
• Drain cashews well and place them into a high-speed blender.
• Add coconut cream, agave syrup, and lemon juice, and process until smooth and creamy. Adjust sweetness if needed.
• Add melted dark chocolate and blend again briefly until all is well combined.
• Using a spoon, layer the chocolate cream on top of the crunchy base (divide the chocolate cream evenly between the 12 silicone mold cylinders).
• Place the cheesecakes in the freezer while you make the maqui berry layer.

Maqui berry layer

• Melt white chocolate over low heat in a small pot. Set aside.
• Drain cashews well and place them into a high-speed blender. Add coconut cream (check Note on coconut cream), lemon juice, maqui berry powder, and agave syrup (the amount will depend on the sweetness of white chocolate, start with 40-50 ml and add more if needed after adding white chocolate).
• Blend at high speed until smooth and creamy.
• Add melted white chocolate and blend again briefly until all is well combined. Adjust sweetness if needed.
• Using a spoon, layer the maqui berry cream on top of the chocolate layer (divide the mixture evenly between the 12 silicone mold cylinders).
• Place the cheesecakes in the freezer to set for at least 4-5 hours or until firm.

Tips and how-tos

Chocolate Maqui Berry Mini Cheesecakes

Nensi Beram

Chocolate Maqui Berry Mini Cheesecakes combine a hazelnut crust topped with two creamy layers: dark chocolate layer and maqui berry white chocolate layer on top. No oven required!

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cuisine Gluten-free, Vegan

Servings 12

Calories 342 kcal

Equipment

• Food processor
• Silicone mold tall cylinders
• High-speed blender
• Silicone spatula

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Crust

• 100 g roasted hazelnuts
• 100 g dates pre soaked in water for a couple of hours or until soft
• 25 g fine coconut flour

Chocolate layer

• 130 g cashews pre soaked in water for min 4 hours
• 80 g coconut cream
• 60 ml agave syrup
• 20 ml lemon juice
• 50 g dark chocolate (85% cocoa)

Maqui berry layer

• 150 g cashews pre soaked in water for min 4 hours
• 100 g coconut cream
• 50 ml agave syrup or more depending on the sweetness of white chocolate
• 20 ml lemon juice
• 60 g vegan white chocolate
• 1 teaspoon maqui berry powder

Instructions

 

• Soaking cashews:  Put cashews in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours.

  Soaking dates: Put pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until soft.

  Note: To ensure an ultra-smooth texture of the cashew cream, it’s important to use a high-speed blender.

Crust

• Drain dates really well after soaking them - you can use a fork to remove any excess water.
• Place roasted hazelnuts, coconut flour, and dates into the food processor and process until the mixture sticks together.
• Once it’s all combined, spread the mixture into 12 silicone mold tall cylinders (5 cm diameter, 5 cm in height) and press down firmly to form the base.

Dark chocolate layer

• Melt chocolate in a small pot over low heat. Stir until smooth.
• Drain cashews well and place them into a high-speed blender.
• Add coconut cream, agave syrup, and lemon juice, and process until smooth and creamy. Adjust sweetness if needed.
• Add melted dark chocolate and blend again briefly until all is well combined.
• Using a spoon, layer the chocolate cream on top of the crunchy base (divide the chocolate cream evenly between the 12 silicone mold cylinders).
• Place the cheesecakes in the freezer while you make the maqui berry layer.

Maqui berry layer

• Melt white chocolate over low heat in a small pot. Set aside.
• Drain cashews well and place them into a high-speed blender. Add coconut cream (check Note on coconut cream), lemon juice, maqui berry powder, and agave syrup (the amount will depend on the sweetness of white chocolate, start with 40-50 ml and add more if needed after adding white chocolate).
• Blend at high speed until smooth and creamy.
• Add melted white chocolate and blend again briefly until all is well combined. Adjust sweetness if needed.
• Using a spoon, layer the maqui berry cream on top of the chocolate layer (divide the mixture evenly between the 12 silicone mold cylinders).
• Place the cheesecakes in the freezer to set for at least 4-5 hours or until firm.

Notes

Note on coconut cream: Always use full-fat canned coconut milk or the cheesecakes won't turn out creamy. Chill it in the refrigerator overnight so that you can easily separate cream from the liquid. The cream should be firm enough so that you can scoop it out with a spoon.

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below and let us know how it was. We are very grateful for your feedback.

Nutrition facts

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Maqui Berry Mini Cheesecakes

Serving Size

 

12

Amount per Serving

Calories

342

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

24

g

37

%

Sodium

 

14

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

28

g

9

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

17

g

19

%

Protein

 

7

g

14

%

* The nutritional information provided is calculated automatically and should be used as an estimate.

Keyword maqui berry dessert, mini cheesecakes maqui berry chocolate