Decadent Dairy-Free Cheesecake

When I first gave up dairy I missed a few things like organic Greek yogurt and cheese, but after a few weeks I no longer craved them and there aren't many things that I miss anymore. Cheesecake is not one of those things! Cheesecake is probably my all-time favorite dessert and one of the few things I really miss being dairy-free.  Determined to create a dairy-free version of the delicious, dense and creamy cheesecake that I actually enjoy as much as the real thing, I came up with this recipes, and it doesn't disappoint! I had to seek out a couple dairy and gluten-free products to make it work (and be warned, they aren't cheap), but I found some winners and I encourage you to use the same brands I did for the best results. I hope you'll enjoy this decadent treat as much as I do!

*I updated this recipe on May 13, 2017 to include some tweaks I made and now it's even better :-).

Makes one cheesecake using a 9" springform pan (about 10 servings). 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups Purely Elizabeth Original Ancient Grain Granola
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Palm Sugar
• 1 tsp Coconut Oil (to grease the springform pan)
• 4 packages Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese Style Spread
• 1 1/2 cups Organic Granulated Sugar OR Lakanto Monk Fruit sweetener for a low-sugar option (yes, it tastes just as good!).
• 1/4 cup Organic Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Kite Hill Plain Unsweetened Yogurt
• 4 Eggs, Organic and Pasture-Raised
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, organic
• 1 tsp Organic Lemon or Orange Zest (finely grated)

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.
2. For the crust: In a food processor, grind the granola into a fine, graham flour-like texture.
3. In a mixing bowl combine ground granola with 2 Tbsp coconut oil, ground flax and coconut palm sugar and mix well. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more coconut oil.
4. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan with coconut oil. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides, making sure you don't leave any cracks.
5. In an electric mixer, beat the non-dairy cream cheese on medium speed, gradually adding in the coconut palm sugar and gluten-free flour until smooth, about 3 minutes.
6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down after each addition. (If you don’t scrape down the bowl after each egg, you will have cream cheese lumps).
7. Add non-dairy yogurt, zest and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake at 500° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200° (leave oven door open until oven temp reduces).
9. Bake until cheesecake perimeter is set but center jiggles slightly when pan is tapped, about 60-90 minutes. Turn off heat and leave oven door ajar for 1 hour longer. This gradual cooling will prevent the top from cracking.
10. Remove cheesecake from oven and set on a wire rack; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. (Can be refrigerated up to 4 days.)

Variations:

Make it Pretty: Serve topped with fresh, organic berries or other fruit if desired

Make it Boozy: Add 2 Tbsp Grand Marnier or amaretto at step 7