When its birthday time in our house, requests are taken a few days before for the desired birthday cake (note, our kids are all over 25 so fortunately no one wanting a complicated princess or dinosaur cake!)
This week the birthday boy asked if it was possible to make a healthy version of an Oreo Cheesecake Brownie; well it is (with a bit of time up your sleeve). It’s not nearly as pretty as the original, but it is much more nutrient dense, gluten free, full of organic, whole food ingredients and was made with a bucket load of love. It is also deliciously sticky and gooey! This is a combination of two of our favourite recipes and some more.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or powder
- 1 egg
- 50 g grass fed butter, melted or coconut oil
TO MAKE
- Preheat oven to 180oC
- Line a square 20 x 20cm baking tin with parchment paper
- Make the chocolate lava cookies according to the recipe and allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Make the date & chocolate brownie dough (but don’t bake it) and set aside.
- Blend the cashews or ricotta with the coconut sugar, vanilla and egg to make a creamy vanilla mix.
- Add 4 of the lava cookies, crumbled, to the vanilla mixture and set aside.
- Crumble the remaining lava cookies and add the melted butter or coconut oil, mixing through well.
- Press this cookie mix firmly into the bottom of the baking tin and bake in oven for 8 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a little.
- Place alternate dollops of the brownie dough and vanilla mix on top of the biscuit layer, then blend lightly using a butter knife (held vertically). (It should form a pretty, peaky chocolate vanilla pattern however I wasn’t overly successful in achieving this!)
- Place back in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Allow to cool before cutting and serving. Keep refrigerated.
