Pumpkin Cheesecake Mocha Brownie Bars

Pumpkin Cheesecake Mocha Brownie Bars

Brownie Base

  • 11/2 cup cooked black beans, washed & dried (1 15oz can or 1/2 Cup dried beans before being cooked)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp milk (used hemp)
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 2 chia / flax seed eggs (2 Tablespoons ground chia or flax seeds, whisked with 6 Tablespoons hot coffee, set aside for 5 minutes until thickened)
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder (used super dark)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar (or raw sugar), processed in your food processor until fine
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In your food processor add your beans, cocoa powder, ground sugar, melted coconut oil, milk, chia/flax mix, baking powder, vanilla extract, instant espresso powder, sea salt, and process until smooth (you’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides to ensure all ingredients are incorporated).
  2. Measure & cut two pieces of parchment paper (or tin foil) that drape over both sides (you will be lifting the bars out with the parchment / tin foil paper so be sure it’s long enough!). Lay one piece of paper horizontally and the other vertically (making a criss-cross), and spray with non-stick spray.
  3. Pour your brownie mix into your prepared pan and smooth over to ensure it’s evenly spread. Pop that in the oven for around 30-35 minutes. To test & check if your brownie layer is done, insert a toothpick into the center, if it pulls out cleanly they’re ready.

    Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

    • 1 cup coconut sugar (or raw sugar)
    • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 21/2 tsp agar agar (not agar flakes; if you have agar flakes, 1 Tablespoon agar flakes = 1 teaspoon agar powder)
    • 2 tbsp potato starch
    • 2 lemons, zested & juiced
    • 11/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or 1 15oz can)
    • 1 can full fat coconut milk
    • 1 14 oz container firm tofu
    1. In your food processor add your tofu and blend until smooth. Add in your pumpkin puree, coconut milk, sugar, lemon zest & juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, cloves, and blend until fully incorporated (you’ll want to scrape down the sides to ensure everything is well blended). Add your mixture into a medium sauce pan and whisk in your agar agar, potato starch, and bring to a boil, occasionally whisking. Once your cheesecake filling is boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 minutes, occasionally whisking. Carefully pour your mix onto your prepared brownie layer.  To make the chocolate swirls, gently dollop 1/2 – 1 Tablespoon of your chocolate sauce atop of your cheesecake and use a knife to swirl through your dollops and around your cheesecake.
    2. Pop your cheesecake into your refrigerator to set (cooling time depends on the temperature of your brownie layer! If they’ve cooled to room temperature the cheesecake layer should take about 30-45 mins to firm).

      Chocolate Sauce

      • pinch of salt
      • 1 tsp vanilla extract
      • 2 tbsp raw date syru, raw maple syrup or raw agave
      • 3 tbsp cacao powder
      • 5 tbsp coconut oil, melted
      1. To prepare you chocolate sauce, combine all of your sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Place in a sealed container and chill in your refrigerator and allow to set (it will thicken as the coconut oil firms up, about 15 minutes). If your sauce solidifies too much, just place your sealed container in a bowl of hot water (coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees Fahrenheit).
      2. To remove your brownie cheesecake bars, once chilled, hold the overlapping edges of your parchment / foil and gently lift up and out of the baking pan and onto a cutting board. Now we can easily slice the bars (I made larger 9×9 bars, you may make them any size!). Store in a container in your fridge for up to one week, if you can get them to last that long!

      For the full post, visit Eating Whole.