Barb Hodgens
Barb Hodgens

Barb Hodgens loves to cook with alternative, healthy whole food ingredients, with a focus on gut health. Barb has overcome her own gut health issues through healthy eating. Share your ideas, comments and photos at the end of this post :)

raw pecan pies

THAT TASTE LIKE CARAMEL CHEESECAKE!

These mini, raw, pecan pies are gluten free, grain free, dairy free, sugar free, and vegan .... and taste just like cheesecake! They’re just perfect for any special occasion and no one will believe they are made with only healthy, whole-food ingredients.

The last few months we’ve loved creating raw desserts and treats made in the Vibe Blender System. We especially love experimenting with fillings made from blended nuts and homemade probiotic coconut yogurt and we’re excited to bring you these divine, little spiced creations. They’re super simple. Whole nuts only take seconds to blend in the Vibe. The cashew cheese filling is seriously, melt- your-mouth, cheesy smooth.

Raw pecan pies

We used our coconut yogurt made with Aroy-d coconut milk in the filling, but you could also use canned coconut cream with equally lovely results.

Raw pecan pies

WATCH HOW TO MAKE RAW PECAN PIES HERE 


Makes – 24 mini pies

INGREDIENTS

BASE
¼ cup (35g) whole raw or activated almonds
1 cup pecans
4 large medjool dates  – seeds removed and chopped
1/3 cup (35g) raw cacao powder
40 grams coconut oil - melted

COCONUT SPICE FILLING
¾ cup (105g) raw cashews (see soaking instructions below)
6 medjool dates – seeds removed and chopped
¾ cup homemade coconut yogurt (avoid the coconut water as much as possible)
1/3 cup (60 grams) coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground powdered ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
Pecan halves to decorate
Cacao powder to dust (optional)

METHOD

1.   Soak the raw cashews in 3 cups of water with 1 teaspoon of salt for approx. 4 hours. The cashews will soften but will also become more nutritious. Why? - read the benefits of soaking nuts and grains.

Raw pecan pies step by step

BASE
2.   Add all the ingredients into the Vibe blender jug in the order listed.
3.   Secure the lid on and pulse the ingredients in 1 second bursts, approx. six times.
4.   Scrape down the sides of the jug and under the blades with a spatula, turning the ingredients to make sure the cacao powder has incorporated.
5.   Spoon teaspoons of the base mixture into paper patty pans or small silicon muffin moulds and press down with the back of a teaspoon to form a base.
6.   Place in the fridge until the filling is ready.
7.   There is no need to clean the jug for the filling

raw pecan pies step by step

COCONUT SPICE FILLING
8.  Drain the cashews in a colander then rinse under running water to remove the salt. Tap the colander to remove as much water as possible.
9.  Combine all the filling ingredients in the blender jug and blend on ‘smoothie’ mode for 20 seconds. Stop to scrape down the sides and then blend for another 10-20 seconds until smooth. Further blending will start to heat up the ingredients.
10.  Remove the bases from the fridge.
11.  Spoon the yogurt spice filling mixture onto the bases. When the whole tray is full, lightly jiggle and tap the trays to ensure the mixture has completely filled the cases and is without pockets of air.
12.  Garnish with a pecan then place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set. To speed the setting process – place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
13.  Push the pecan pies out of the trays and dust with cacao powder.
14.  Store in an air tight container in the fridge for 1 week. Note: the pies soften at room temperature.

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Raw pecan pies