Chocolate Raspberry Love Bites!

You might just swoon at the sweet flavors in these romantic love bars! You’ll taste 4 creamy layers in each bite – crunchy nuts, chocolate fondant, smooth cheesecake, and tart raspberry glaze. This is not a bar, it’s a candy! A love bite! A Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bar, a perfect healthy treat for someone special. It’s Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and raw. Just a tiny piece puts me in a good mood. Makes one 9 x 9-inch pan of pure bliss. I cut them in tiny 1-inch squares, or you can cut them any size you like… Find more amazing treats in my new cookbook – Paleo Desserts, 125 Delicious Favorites, Gluten and Grain-free!

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted (full-fat)
• 1 cup nuts, lightly toasted (almonds, pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts), soaked if possible. See All About Nuts.)
• 1/3 cup Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener (not Baking), or your favorite sweetener.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon unprocessed salt
• 1-2 tablespoons filtered water, only if needed.

• 1 cup Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener (not Baking), or your favorite sweetener.
• 6 tablespoons hot filtered water
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (place jar in lukewarm water to melt oil)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons pure cacao powder

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted (or any toasted, chopped nuts)

• 3/4 cup thick unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup coconut butter, softened (place the jar in a bowl of hot water)
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (place the jar in a bowl of hot water)
• 1 teaspoon Vitamin-C crystals
• 4 1/2 tablespoons Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener (not Baking), or your favorite sweetener.
• 2 Pinches salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 1/2 tablespoons agar flakes (or 1 1/2 teaspoons agar powder) cooked in:
• 6 tablespoons coconut milk

• 6 – 8 ounces raspberries, fresh or frozen (or strawberries)
• 6 tablespoons Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener (not Baking), or your favorite sweetener.
• Zest of 1/2 orange
• 1 tablespoon agar flakes (or 1 teaspoon agar powder) cooked in:
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (plus 2 tablespoons filtered water as needed)

Instructions

1. Toast all the coconut and nuts lightly in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes stirring form time to time. Get out a 9 x 9 inch square pan and line it with parchment paper.
2. Place in a food processor: coconut, nuts, sweetener, vanilla, coconut oil, and salt. Mix well until the texture resembles a paste. If your nuts are very dry, you may need to slowly add a bit of filtered water. Sweeten to taste. Press into the pan and chill briefly while you make the chocolate layer. Easy!
   Chocolate Layer:
3. In any blender, add the sweetener, warm water, coconut oil, and vanilla. Blend briefly until the sweetener is dissolved.
4. Add the cacao powder and blend until smooth. Sweeten to taste. The mixture should be quite thick. You can thin it by adding a teaspoon of warm water or more, until it reaches your desired consistency. You can thicken it by adding a bit more cacao powder. Pour the chocolate layer over the chilled crust, and smooth it flat.
5. Sprinkle sliced almonds (or nuts) over the chocolate layer.
   Cheesecake Filling:
6. A blender is best for a smooth, creamy filling. Add coconut milk, lemon juice, coconut butter, coconut oil, Vitamin-C, sweetener, salt, and vanilla. Blend until smooth and creamy.
7. In a shallow nonstick pan on the stove over medium heat, stir the agar into the coconut milk. Cook and stir gently with a spatula. When it begins to bubble, continue stirring for (2 – to 3 minutes for agar flakes) or (30 seconds for agar powder) until it is bubbling and gummy. Then add the warm agar mixture to the blender immediately and blend well to remove any lumps. Pour the filling over the chocolate layer and smooth flat. Refrigerate. You can chill it faster in the freezer briefly 30 minutes, however, freezing completely will make it too difficult to cut.
   Raspberry Glaze:
8. In a blender, preferably small, add raspberries, sweetener, and orange zest. Blend well. In a shallow nonstick pan on the stove over medium heat, stir the agar into the lemon juice. Cook and stir gently with a spatula. When it begins to bubble, continue stirring for (2 – to 3 minutes for agar flakes) or (30 seconds for agar powder) until it is bubbling and gummy. Then add the warm agar mixture to the blender immediately and blend well to remove any lumps. Pour the the raspberry glaze over the bars and smooth flat.
   Serve:
9. Let the bars sit for 1 hour to firm up. Chilling them is best, however they WILL also thicken at room temperature. Cut into small 1-inch squares and enjoy!