Vegan-Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake

By wing118677

Ingredients

• For the Vanilla Cookie Walnut Crust:
• 2 cups (1 12 oz box) Earth’s Best® Letter of the Day Very Vanilla Cookies
• 2 cups walnuts, chopped
• pinch of Hain Pure Foods® Sea Salt
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger, ground
• 2 tablespoons Hain Pure Foods® Brown Sugar
• 4 tablespoons Spectrum® Coconut oil, melted
• For the Butterscotch Caramel Sauce
• 1/4 cup Hain Pure Foods® white sugar
• 1/4 cup Hain Pure Foods® brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Rice Dream® Coconut Drink
• 1/2 teaspoon vegan butterscotch extract (or vanilla) (check the label to make sure it’s vegan)
• 1 tablespoon Spectrum® Coconut Oil
• For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
• 1 package (8 oz.) Vegan Cream Cheese
• 1 package 14-15 oz extra firm tofu
• 1-1/2 cup Hain Pure Foods® Sugar
• 1 can 15-ounce Pumpkin Puree
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tablespoon Spectrum® Premium Whole Flax Seeds, ground
• Vegan Butterscotch Caramel Sauce
• Toppings, Extra Chopped walnuts, crushed cookies, Butterscotch Caramel

Details

Adapted from namelymarly.com

Preparation

Step 1

:

For the Vanilla Cookie Walnut Crust:

Preheat oven to 350ᵒF. Prepare your pan (preferably a springform pan) by spraying with vegetable cooking spray.
Toast the walnuts to bring out their flavor by spreading walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, checking frequently. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Pour cookies, sugar and toasted (and cooled) walnuts in a food processor. Pulse until course. Add the pinch of salt, ginger and brown sugar and pulse again to combine. Add melted coconut oil and pulse until incorporated.
Spread into the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the Butterscotch Caramel Sauce:

Combine sugars and dairy-free milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a minute or two until the sugars dissolve. Increase the heat slightly to allow the mixture to come to a boil. Continue to cook until the caramel thickens to a desired consistency.
Remove from heat and add the vegan butterscotch flavoring and coconut oil and stir until the oil is incorporated into the caramel. Set aside to cool.

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:

Pour the cream cheese, tofu, sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cornstarch, and ground flax seeds into a food processor and pulse until smooth (approximately one minute), stirring sides of bowl to incorporate all ingredients.

Assemble the Pumpkin Cheesecake:
Make sure your oven is heated to 350ᵒF.
Remove crust from fridge. Spread dollops of the caramel sauce over the crust. Add a layer of the cheesecake filling (using about half of the filling). Spread more dollops of caramel sauce. Top with remaining cheesecake filling, reserving some caramel sauce for topping.

Bake for one hour and fifteen minutes. The middle of the cheesecake can still be a little jiggly, you just don’t want it to be soupy. If needed, bake for another 10 minutes. When the cheesecake is ready, set on a rack to cool. Once cool enough to handle, spread any additional chopped walnuts or crushed cookies and add dollops of caramel sauce. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.