Saturdays are my favorite days of the week to get in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen and whip up a tasty treat for my family to enjoy. This weekend I created a vegan and gluten-free, no-bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake. Is there anything in this world better than edible chocolate chip cookie dough? Hell no! This Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake is completely safe to indulge in and does not contain any eggs which are typically found in cookies. The filling is of this cheesecake mimics the real deal quite well and my little family of 3 absolutely loved this faux cheesecake recipe.
I think that it is a universal idea that raw cookie dough is the bomb! When I was a little girl and my mom whipped up a batch of cookies I always had to have a taste of the cookie dough on the spatula. I would give it a good lick and the taste of raw cookie dough is pure, straight up comfort food! Am I right?
Raw cookie dough almost always has eggs in it, and let’s face it… raw eggs can get you sick with salmonella nowadays and that is the last thing in the world that anyone needs. This recipe is perfect for those that admire that taste of raw cookie dough. If you don’t feel like creating an entire cheesecake with this recipe, go ahead and just create the filling and indulge in that with a spoon or use something to dip in it. The filling on its own makes a great dip!
Creating the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
This cheesecake has a very rich taste thanks to the 4th & Heart ghee that I used. If you are able to get hour hands on the 4th & Heart vanilla ghee I am sure that would be fantastic in this recipe as well. In my cheesecakes, I always go with coconut oil but for this one, I swapped that out for ghee since chocolate chip cookies are full of butter. The ghee turned out the be a wise choice. When I took that first bite of this cheesecake I knew that using ghee in this recipe was a smart decision. I used coconut oil a couple months ago to make a cookie dough cheesecake, and while it was delicious this recipe with the ghee knocked it out of the park!
It may seem as though this recipe has a lot of ingredients. If you have a well-stocked pantry, chances are you already have most of the items on the ingredient list. There are also some kitchen items, such as a good-sized food processor, that you will need. A springform pan is essential as well in order to create a cheesecake. A standard 8-inch size will do. If you use anything larger you will have to increase the amount of the ingredients in the chocolate ganache topping.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake crust
The first step of this recipe is to create the crust of the cheesecake. For the crust of this cookie dough cheesecake, I used a mix of Medjool dates, raw almonds, almond flour, finely shredded coconut, maple syrup, cacao powder, ghee, and some pure vanilla extract. This results in a chocolatey crust due to the added cacao powder. If you do not want a chocolate crust, simply just omit the cacao powder. The crust is gluten and grain-free. The crust has a nutty texture (from the almonds) and the perfect amount of chocolate flavor.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake filling
The filling is composed of raw cashews, almond flour, coconut flour, ghee, maple syrup, lemon juice, coconut sugar, and vegan dark chocolate chips. This is the part of cheesecake that is all about that edible cookie dough flavor. The soaked cashews mixed with that little bit of lemon juice, believe it or not, are going to imitate a cheesecake. This type of formula with the cashews and lemon juice is very versatile and you can totally get creative here with your non-dairy, vegan cheesecake. I posted some other recipes for cheesecakes at the bottom of this post.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake topping
For this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, we are going to top it off with a simple chocolate ganache that is only 2 ingredients: vegan dark chocolate chips (from Enjoy Life Foods) and just a dab of coconut oil to smooth it all out. This is my daughter’s favorite part of any cheesecake that I create. Gee, I wonder why? Could it be because she is a chocolate lover like myself? This is the first part that she always goes for when I cut her a slice.
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
This paleo, vegan, and gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake is a decadent treat for your whole family to enjoy.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Crust
- 1 cup Almonds (Raw)
- 8 Medjool dates (Pitted & soaked)
- 1/2 cup Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Finely shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 2 tablespoons Cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons Ghee (Melted/softened)
- 2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Filling
- 1 pound Raw cashews (Soaked overnight)
- 1/2 cup Almond flour
- 3/4 cup Pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Ghee (Melted/softened)
- 2 tablespoons Coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons Coconut sugar (More or less depending on how sweet you would like it)
- 3 teaspoons Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup Vegan dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Foods)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Topping
- 1 cup Vegan dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon Coconut oil
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Soak cashews overnight to soften
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Before making the crust, soften the Medjool dates in hot water.
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Line springform pan with parchment paper and spray with coconut oil.
Crust
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Place all ingredients for the crust in the food processor. Process ingredients on high until well incorporated.
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Spread and press the crust ingredients into the springform pan. Freeze the crust while working on the filling.
Filling
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Place all ingredients into the food processor (except chocolate chips). Blend up until smooth.
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Remove the filling from the food processor and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the 3/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips.
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Place the mixture in the springform pan on top of the crust. Smooth it out the best you can.
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Place in the fridge for one hour.
Chocolate ganache
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Place 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips and the coconut oil in a small saucepan. Stir until melted. Remove from burner and allow to cool a few moments.
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Take the cheesecake out of the fridge and evenly spread the chocolate ganache on top until completely covered.
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Place in the fridge for 5 more hours and allow it to set.
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Slice, eat, and enjoy!
- To maintain freshness, please place your cheesecake in the refrigerator .This cheesecake will last approximately 5 days.
- You may use 4th & Heart Vanilla Ghee for an extra touch of flavor.
Final thoughts:
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did and my little family of three did. We each enjoyed a slice after our dinner last night. Usually, when I mention the word “cheesecake” to my family they shudder a bit. They are not cheesecake fans BUT I always encourage them to eat with an open mind. Guess what? They loved this faux cheesecake! The great thing about this cheesecake is that it is actually leaning towards the side of being healthy. It is chockful of almonds and cashews and it does not contain any refined sugars or dairy.
So go ahead and indulge a bit! Even go ahead and have a nice slice for breakfast if that is what your heart desires. I will let you in on a little secret~ I do!
What is your favorite flavor of cheesecake? Leave me a comment and let me know. I might just make it into a vegan cheesecake someday!
Equipment needed to create this cheesecake:
You will need a few kitchen items to create this winning chocolate chip cookie dough recipe:
- Food processor
- A springform pan (I used an 8″ pan for this recipe)
- Mixing bowls
- Soft spatulas
- Parchment paper
- Coconut oil spray
Related posts:
- Vegan Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake RECIPE
- Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake RECIPE
- Matcha & Chocolate Cheesecake RECIPE
Shopping for ingredients and equipment:
These items needed to create this recipe are all available at Amazon. If you have a Prime membership the items ship for free with 2-day shipping. If you are not yet a Prime member you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS (no extra cost to you). ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.
