Vegan Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Crust:

• 12 large vegan graham cracker sheets (or 160g vegan digestive cookies)
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar (or light brown sugar)
• 6 tablespoons vegan butter, melted and cooled (85g)

Cranberry Swirl:

• 1½ cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• ¼ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold water (or more as needed - see note below)

Cheesecake:

• 2 cups cashews, soaked for 4 hours or overnight, then rinsed and drained
• 1 cup coconut cream, or the thick cream from full-fat coconut milk (see note below).
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

For the crust: 

1. Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on all sides.
2. Break graham crackers into smaller pieces and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cane sugar and pulse to break up crackers, then continuously process until finely ground.
3. Add the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened (it should resemble wet sand and hold together when you squeeze it) .Add an additional tablespoon of melted butter if necessary.
4. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan (use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass). Place pan in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

For the Cranberry Swirl: 

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, orange juice and  sugar. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until the cranberries are soft and starting to break down, about 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Purée the mixture along with the 2 tablespoons of cold water in a blender (a small blender or food processor works best here). Set aside to cool.

For the Cheesecake: 

1. Add the cashews, coconut milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
2. Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
3. Add dollops of the cooled cranberry mixture to the pan, then use a knife or chopstick to drag the cranberry filling through the top of the cheesecake, creating swirls.
4. Freeze the cheesecake for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
5. Let thaw for 5 minutes on the counter, then, using the parchment sling, remove the cheesecake from the pan. Slice into squares, serve and enjoy!

Makes: 16 bars

• Notes 
  Cranberries: If your cranberry filling is very thick after puréeing, add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) to thin it out.
• Coconut cream/milk: If you can’t find coconut cream, use the thick cream that rises to the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk. You may need two cans to get a full cup. Chilling the cans overnight will help separate the cream from the liquid.