What can I substitute for the cereal in the crust?

Granola works well too! I have made many chocolate crusts with chocolate granola and I love it, like this recipe for example.

I forgot to soak the cashews, what should I do?

Soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes, as long as you have a high speed blender that will be long enough to blend to a creamy consistency.

My date caramel keeps getting stuck in the blender?

Use the tamper to help nudge it along, and/or add up to 1/4 cup extra coconut milk. You want it to be super smooth so don't stop if it's chunky.

Does this cheesecake need to be refrigerated or frozen?

I recommend putting it in the freezer to initially set, and then letting it thaw for 30 minutes at room temp or 1-2 hours in the fridge before slicing and serving. That will create the best creamy texture without it being too soft.

Samoa Cheesecake (dairy-free + no-bake)

Description

This Samoa Cheesecake is three layers of girl scout cookie inspired goodness—a tender chocolate crumb crust, a creamy hint-of-caramel cheesecake filling, and a chocolate drizzled salty-sweet coconut caramel layer on top. No-bake, vegan, and gluten-free too!

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Crust

3 cups (75g) crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (80g) maple syrup
1/3 cup (85g) nut or seed butter (or 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted)
1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake Filling

1 cup (240g) full-fat coconut milk
1 1/2 cup (180g) raw cashews, soaked 3+ hours then drained and rinsed
8oz (200g) dairy-free cream cheese
1/2 cup (~150g) medjool date caramel (below)

Caramel Topping

300g (~15) pitted medjool dates
1 1 1/4 cup (240-300g) full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (105g) unsweetened shredded coconut

4oz dark chocolate, melted for topping

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Instructions

For the crust:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line an 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom and grease the sides.
In a food processor, grind the cereal with the cocoa powder and salt.
Add the maple syrup and nut butter. Process to form a crumbly sand like texture.
Press firmly into the bottom of the pan and just a little bit up the sides.
Bake for 15 minutes, then cool while you prepare the filling.

For the filling and topping:

Blend the dates, heavy coconut milk, vanilla, and salt for the caramel topping on high until very smooth adding more milk (up to 1/4 cup) if/as needed.
Remove ½ cup, and blend with the filling ingredients until smooth and creamy (adding more coconut milk if needed, up to 1/4 cup).
Pour the filling on top of the crust, and freeze for one hour.
Stir the shredded coconut into the remaining caramel.
Once the filling is firm to the touch, spread the coconut caramel mixture on top to evenly cover.
Freeze overnight.
Carefully release the springform pan. Drizzle the top with melted chocolate. Allow the cheesecake to thaw for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Keywords: gluten free, dairy free, no bake, easy, chocolate, caramel, Girl Scout, caramel delight, coconut, cashew, healthy