Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

I always hesitate to put the word healthy in my recipe captions because I feel like there will be at least one health nut that will try to call me out saying "that's actually not healthy" but for me, this is a lot cleaner version of any dessert I would normally eat...and it's really freaking good!! Also, I've always been in love with the color of fresh raspberries! It's so perfect.

Let me know if you have questions in the comment section - it makes different amounts depending on if you slice it into squares or rectangles but this recipe is definitely enough to feed a crowd of around 8-10 people. 

What you need:
For the crust

• 8 oz graham crackers (gluten free ones will work too)
• 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
• 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

For the filling

• 16 oz vegan cream cheese (I used Daiya bc it's nut free)
• 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

For the raspberry puree

• 8 oz chilled raspberries 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 2 tbsp Vital Proteins collagen powder

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Form the crust by blending the graham crackers,  butter and honey or maple syrup in a food processor until it starts to stick together a bit.
3. Line a deep 8x10 baking pan with parchment paper and spray or rub any exposed edges of the pan with coconut oil. (This recipe also works with a mini 8x4 baking dish - just results in a little thicker layers!)
4. Press the crust down into the pan so that it's an even flat layer and bake in the oven for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F.
5. Stick the finished crust in the freezer immediately so that it's cool once you're ready to add the cheesecake filling.
6. Blend the cheesecake filling ingredients in a food processor or stand mixer with the whisk attachment until smooth. Add the filling to the baking pan on top of the cooled graham cracker crust, spread it out evenly and then put the pan back in the freezer for at least an hour.
7. Add the chilled raspberries, lemon juice, honey or maple syrup and collagen powder to a blender and blend until combined. Add it on top of the chilled cheesecake and spread it out into an even layer.
8. Return the whole thing to the freezer for 3 hours or overnight before removing it and slicing to serve! LET IT THAW for at least 15 minutes before slicing it up. Crucial because it breaks apart if it's too hard and frozen. (Learned the hard way lol.)