By: Dr. Melanie DeCunha, ND

Okay, well I’ve gone from never baking anything completely AIP (and rarely if ever baking anything at ALL) to trying out 4 different recipes within a week (check out my coconut cookie dough bites)!

As a die-hard cheese(/cake) lover, I have been on the hunt for a decadent dairy-free cheesecake that gives me some semblance of the creamy texture of a traditional cheesecake. This is probably a tall order, as it’s hard finding a dairy-free cheese with a good texture. I will say that I have been obsessed with some savoury dairy-free cheeses lately, however they are cashew-based, and thus not considered hypoallergenic.

With that said, this recipe is completely hypoallergenic! No gluten, dairy, eggs, sugar, nuts – nada! So if you’re in the midst of an elimination diet or following a strict AIP diet, then this will be bliss for you.

I actually got this recipe from My Big Fat Grain Free Life, and made a few slight modifications. I found the ratio of crust to filling almost half and half which I felt was the perfect balance. The lemon extract and zest was just right to leave them refreshing and not too heavy.

Using regular sized silicone moulds, this recipe makes approximately 8 cheesecakes, but you can use smaller moulds to make more. They are quite rich, so you really only need a couple bites.

Hope you enjoy this dairy-free cheesecake!

Ingredients:

CRUST:

• 10 Medjool dates
• 1C shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1.5t ground ginger
• 2.5t ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 2t coconut oil
• 1t honey (can swap for maple syrup if vegan)

FILLING:

• ¾C raw coconut manna
• 1T coconut oil
• ½C palm shortening
• 2.5T honey (can swap for maple syrup if vegan)
• 1.5T organic pure lemon extract
• ¼t vanilla extract

GARNISH:

• Lemon zest

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 250F.
• Lay silicone muffin moulds on tray (or use a muffin tin with liners – the silicone moulds make them easily pop out).
• Soak dates for 10 minutes if needed to soften.
• Spread shredded coconut onto lined cookie sheet and toast in oven until golden brown (several minutes)
• In food processor, pulse softened dates. Once roughly chopped, add the remaining crust ingredients and pulse until well combined.
• Press crust into the bottom of moulds and refrigerate.
• Soften coconut manna (either in a glass cup placed in a large bowl of hot water or in microwave).
• In a medium bowl, add softened coconut manna and remaining filling ingredients. Beat with a hand or stand mixer until smooth.
• Pour filling on top of crust in moulds.
• Garnish with fresh lemon zest.
• Place in refrigerator or freezer until set.

Nutrition: Yields approx. 8 servings

• Calories: 379kcal
• Fat: 29.7g
• Protein: 2.2g
• Carbohydrates: 35.8g