To me, nothing says dessert like cheesecake. And for the festive season, this cranberry and pistachio cheesecake makes the perfect dessert option with it’s green and red colour combination (well, it’s more pink but close enough…). When it comes to ‘healthier’ sweet treats my rule of thumb is it must also taste delicious, otherwise what’s the point? Food is for both nourishment and enjoyment! This cheesecake makes a few switches from the standard recipe and the result is something that is just as delicious as other cheesecakes.
Instead of a biscuit base I’ve used a combination of nuts, oats and coconut and in my opinion it tastes even better than a biscuit version, but you could still use a standard biscuit base if you prefer. The filling is a combination of yoghurt and cream cheese as well as sweet, tangy cranberries which makes it a little less rich than a traditional cheesecake, yet still very delicious. Sweet dried cranberries teamed with crunchy pistachio nuts add a festive topping that tastes delicious too.
COMPETITION!! I’ve used FreshLife nuts and cranberries to make this recipe and they’ve also given me a fabulous hamper of Freshlife goodies to giveaway. Let me know your favourite nut recipe in the comments below. Check them out on Facebook here
Cranberry Pistachio Cheesecake
Base:
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup FreshLife pistachio nuts
½ cup FreshLife ground almonds
1/4 cup fine coconut
1 tablespoon liquid honey
5 FreshLife Silver Platter Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tablespoons coconut oil.
Filling:
1 cup thick Greek yoghurt (I used Cylops Greek)
250g cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tablespoons liquid honey
4 teaspoons gelatine dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water
¾ cup FreshLife dried cranberries & 1/2 cup water
For the topping
½ cup FreshLife dried cranberries & ¼ cup water
½ cup FreshLife pistachio nuts
In a blender or food processor, add the pistachio nuts and blend until very finely chopped. Add the oats and blend again until they are also finely chopped. Add the almonds, chopped dates, vanilla and coconut oil and blend until mixed. You may need to stop the blender and give it a quick mix by hand a few times to help it all bind together.
Line the bottom of a spring lock 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Press the base mixture firmly into the bottom with clean hands and place in the fridge while you make the filling.
For the filling:
Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and leave to soften (or microwave for 20 seconds in a bowl). Mix together with the yoghurt, vanilla and honey and beat until well combined and creamy. Dissolve the gelatine with the water, add to the mixture and beat quickly to combine.
Place the cranberries and water in a blender and blend until the berries are very finely chopped. Fold through the yoghurt/cream cheese mixture.
Pour the filling on top of the base and smooth with a spatula. Blend the remaining cranberries and water and place on top. Finely chop the pistachio nuts and add to the cheesecake topping and add another sprinkle of cranberries on top. Place in the freezer to set for 3-4 hours. Enjoy the Cranberry and Pistachio Cheesecake!
COMPETITION TIME!
I’ve used FreshLife nuts and cranberries to make this recipe and they’ve also given me a fabulous hamper of Freshlife goodies to giveaway. NZ residents only sorry. Let me know your favourite nut recipe in the comments below. Check them out on Facebook here
COMPETITON CLOSED – Winners are: Nikky Winchester and Christine C
This post was sponsored by FreshLife
Chickpea, cucumber and grape salad with toasted almonds and sesame seeds and a pomegranate dressing 🙂
I love Chelsea Winter’s White Choc and Cranberry slice that has pistachios and macadamias in it.
I enjoy Chelsea Winters munch muesli bar receipt which is full of nutty goodness and also seeds.
Homemade nut milk. The ones at the shop are too watery so I like to make my own when I need a milk-substitute. And then I like to use up the ground nuts to thicken my curries. Don’t want to waste any nutty goodness 🙂
My favourite dish involving nuts is vanilla cashew chia pudding.
Homemade granola with dried fruit and lightly roasted nuts
I love homemade muesli with lots of nuts & seeds in it, 😀
Ginger slice with a cashew cream icing ?
A bit simple, but I like toasting a nut and seed mix in the oven and then having it on hand as a snack. Toastig them really brings out the flavour
We use nuts in almost every meal we have! Bit one of my very favourite ways to use them is in a Moroccan chicken salad with Israeli couscous and honeyed apricots, avocado, baby spinach, red onion, sliced strawberries and pomegranates with beautiful pistachios and toasted almonds topped with a garlicky yoghurt dressing and lots of coriander.
Dukkah is a favourite, and toasting a range of nuts and seeds to add a crunchy delicious topping to my salads.. No recipe, just what I have in stock!
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I absolutely love peanuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts and cashews in particular and my fave nut recipe is last Christmas’ dessert of a raw cashew, cacao and raspberry torte!
Love a maple pecan pie with a caramel filling, sweet shortcrust pastry and dollops of whipped cream! In a healthier capacity though, I do a lovely date and walnut loaf (perfect served warm for morning tea). I’ve also got a great Israeli couscous, asparagus, mint and broad bean salad starring pistachios (a Peter Gordon recipe on high rotate over the summer months!)
I love two cups of nuts and seeds toasted, then stirred into melted dark chocolate. Spoon little clusters onto baking paper then let them cool. Great healthyish snacks to satisfy a craving – usually around mid-afternoon ?
Wow – this looks amazing. We are using fresh life walnuts in the Bircher muesli that we make every morning using your recipe. It’s delicious!
My favourite nut recipe would have to be my morning muesli, would be lost without it! I use a mixture of almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts and walnuts thrown together with whole grain oats + seeds and mixed together with a drop of Manuka honey and coconut oil before roasting – delish! I also make an Xmas version where I swap the walnuts for pecans and add in cranberries, pistachios and freeze dried raspberries.
Peanut Brownie Cheesecake definitely so so good
My speculaas (using partner’s family old recipe) makes us of ground almond and patiently mature spices topped with slivered almonds and chopped pistachios. It has become my habit to specially bake big batches of this. I place a dozen or two in a container and tie it with Christmas ribbon and give it as a gift to son’s teachers,partner’s family and our friends. Thanks for the chance.:)
For Christmas we love making gorgeous sourdough loaves studded with pistachios almonds and cranberries- it looks so festive and it’s so delicious with a baked Brie
I love making nutty bliss balls with dates, cashews, almonds and coconut. They taste amazing and give me a much needed burst of energy when I’m at work!!
Peanut Brownie Cheesecake
Seed crackers with chia, seasame and sunflower
Definitely my homemade nut mylk!! So simple and so much better than store bought!
I use nuts to make sauces, usually for pasta. Our favourite is a creamy tomato pasta made from cashews, from oh she glows. Amazing!
We love macadamia crusted chicken- delicious.
It would have to be Nadia Lim’s mandarin cake- made with whole mandarins and ground almonds- gluten free and so delicious :).
Any kind of nuts with dates, coconut oil, freeze dried strawberries and vanilla protein powder whizzed up and rolled into bliss balls, yum!
Love using nuts in salads, one of my favs is green beans, lemin zest,feta and roasted almonds.
Home made muesli bars 🙂
It’s so hard to choose a favourite- creamy homemade almond butter, decadent choc chip cookies loaded with macadamias, or salads studded with freshly toasted walnuts. Delicious!
Hazelnut dukkah is my fave!
I love to make an Orzo salad with turmeric roasted carrots and toasted pinenuts – it’s a regular dish at our Christmas dinner every year!
My fav nut recipe are nut burgers – such a delicious and nutritious alternative to normal burgers
Everything! I use nuts in salads, smoothies, bliss balls, muesli, slices. If I had to pick one, I’d have to say roast vege & gets salad with toasted walnuts! Yum
Sorry, roast vege & feta (not gets, damn autocorrect)
I love making bliss balls and filling them with nuts . So good for kids lunchboxes
Homemade granola with lots of chopped almonds is a favourite in our house
Maybe favourite but recipes have to be hazelnut truffles or homemade museli with a selection of nuts.
I love making “bounty slice” which has a nut based base and coconut top with cacao icing mmmmmm
Cashew based lemon cheesecake ??
Cashew based lemon cheesecake ??
Cranberry Pistachio Cheesecake sounds divine, on my Xmas menu plan for sure.
Walnut halves with dark chocolate chips are a different yet popular addition to a platter
My favourite “recipe” is good old homemade almond butter or cashew butter – natural almonds or cashew in the food processor, with a pinch of salt, until it comes together as a nice smooth spread.
I then use that almond butter in a quinoa and dried cranberry slice I make. (Recipe is on my kitchen bench but I’m in hospital with my newborn. Would love a pack of yummy FreshLife goodies to nourish this mum!)
I have FreshlLife dried cranberries in my pantry currently for that slice, and am intending to make some lactation cookies with them and some dark choc chunks added, so more definitely wouldn’t go astray! ?
Peanuts because… peanut butter! Duh! #dreamy #oneandonly
Hazelnut almond & cranberry slice!
I love making chocolate bliss balls with walnuts and almonds
I love making home made muesli bars or some home made granola ??
Love my Nanas White Chocolate, dried Cranberries, pistachio nuts and slithered almond slice. No bake needed – an extra bonus !
It’s to Devine to resist, and always a Christmas time favourite ? Can’t wait to make it again this season !
Have made almond and apricot bliss balls for Christmas gifts the last few years, they are really easy to make and very tasty
Cashew nuts are my favorite. They are so versatile
Caramel Nut Slice
Hazelnut, Almond & Cranberry Slice