I’m dreaming of tropical weather and not snow in April.  Where there’s sunshine and bright pink frozen pitaya.  I love pitaya bowls so I was pretty jazzed with how this next level pitaya use turned out.  They have that  raw cheesecake texture with the creaminess from the cashews and sweetness from the dates.

I love making raw desserts that keep in the freezer and are ready for a healthy treat, a substitute for ice cream and a tropical escape when you need it.  You could even skip the base and just fill the cups with the filling… you’ll still get a little cold weather escape.

You’ll need:

For Base

• 1 cup almonds
• 0.5 cup soft dates, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cacao nibs
• 0.25 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 heaping teaspoon raw cashew butter
• Pinch salt

For Top

• 3 cups cashews, soaked for 6 hours*
• 1.25 cups full fat coconut milk (whisked from a can)
• 1 cup soft dates, chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons pitaya puree
• Pinch salt
• 0.5 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
• Optional: freeze dried raspberries

*If you don’t want to wait six hours place cashews in a heat proof bowl.  Bring a kettle to boil, remove from heat and wait two minutes.  Pour hot water over cashews (to cover) and let sit 15 minutes.  Drain and use. This makes these not raw FYI.

To Make:

1. Process all the base ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Divide across 12 muffin cups and press down.  Place in freezer.
2. Process all the filling ingredients except the coconut oil until very creamy.  With blender or processor running on the lowest speed, stream in coconut oil and blend until just combined. Divide among the muffin cups (you might have a little extra).  Place in freezer overnight.  Use a sharp knife to remove from muffin cup.  Optional garnish with freeze dried raspberries.

Inspired by DatesandAvocados