It’s time to brighten up this winter weather with some springy sweets! Our friends at Vegan Street Eats created some delicious Rock Creek Rosé Cider Cheesecake Cups featuring a Rosé cheesecake filling in an oaty crust, topped with strawberry Rosé sauce. Is your mouth watering yet!? These sweet treats are perfect for a bridal shower, birthday brunch, or a backyard barbecue (yes we’re starting to day dream about those, okay?). Plus, they’re raw, vegan, gluten and soy free, but packed full of flavour, so you can share them with just about everyone!

Makes: 12 cupcake-sized cheesecake cups
Time: 15 minutes (plus 3 hours in the freezer)

Crust
1 cup dates
2/3 cup oats (use gluten free certified if gluten free)
Pinch of salt

Rosé Cheesecake Filling
2 cups raw cashews- soaked in water for at least 1 hour and then drained
2/3 cup Rock Creek Rosé cider
1/3 cup maple syrup (or any liquid sweetener)
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp lemon juice (or the juice of half of a lemon)

Strawberry Rosé Sauce
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries – sliced
2/3 cup Rock Creek Rosé Cider
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut sugar or organic cane sugar
1 tsp arrowroot powder, dissolved in 1 tsp water

For the crust: Combine all crust ingredients in a food processor and blend until the dough starts to clump. Press into the bottom of a cupcake-wrapper lined muffin tin.

For the cheesecake: In a blender, blend all cheesecake ingredients until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Pour into the cheesecake cups over the crust, leaving about a centimeter at the top.

For the strawberry sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom doesn’t burn. Reduce to a simmer, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Scoop a spoonful of sauce on top of each of the cheesecake cups.

To serve: Freeze for about 3 hours, or until the cheesecakes have hardened.