No-Bake Feta Cheesecake Bars

While I often eat paleo meals (grain-free, dairy-free, soy-free, legume-free, etc.), I find that I can handle low-lactose dairy products. I ended up buying a large, Costco portion of feta cheese because in Korea, cheese is incredibly hard to find. When you spot it, you gotta grab it. 🙂

Feta is a perfect compliment to egg dishes, quiches, homemade burgers, salads and lettuce wraps. I was curious to see if I could satisfy my sweet tooth too.

The classic cheesecake is hard to beat but with high lactose cream cheese, I wanted to find an alternative.

So with my fridge full of feta, I created these quadruple-layered feta cheesecake bars!

Ingredients: 

Nutty base layer: 

• 1 cup walnuts/almonds
• 1/2 cup dates/prunes
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 3 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp coconut cream

Creamy cheesecake layer: 

• 1/4 cup feta
• 1/3 cup coconut cream
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup pre-soaked cashews
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Fruity layer:

• 1 banana
• 3 tbsp coconut oil

Top chocolate drizzle: 

• 1/4 cup of your favorite chocolate spread, warmed (I used Artisana’s Hazelnut Cacao Spread.)
• Handful of cacao nibs

Recipe: 

1. Blend your nuts, dates/prunes, coconut oil, coconut cream and water together in a blender. You can then add your coconut flour and flaxseed meal for added thickness.
2. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 in x 9 in pan. It will only fill half of the pan. Place the pan into the freezer to cool for about 5 min.
3. Next, blend the feta, coconut cream, water, cashews, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Once creamy, add the coconut flour and flaxseed meal.
4. Take your pan out from the freezer and add this creamy cheesecake mixture to the top. Place back into the freezer for chilling (about 10 min).
5. Then blend your banana and coconut oil. The coconut oil is solid at room temperature so it allows this layer to set nicely on top of the cheesecake.
6. Once your cheesecake has chilled, add this banana mixture to the top. Place it back into the freezer for another 10 min.
7. Melt your chocolate spread (you can also use plain dark chocolate if you prefer).
8. Take your cheesecake bars out of the fridge and drizzle on your chocolate. Sprinkle some cacao nibs for added texture and healthy chocolate fiber. 😉
9. Slice and serve.

*Remember: Because they are no-bake cheesecake bars, it is best to store them in your fridge. *

Enjoy!