Rosewater Rhubarb Cheesecake Brownies

Alright, friends…the wait is over. I finally got my act together and wrote up this recipe for you all. This recipe is very similar to my Marbled Blood Orange Cheesecake Brownies– but with a little Spring rhubarb twist! 

 

For the brownie layer:

What you will need:

• 8×8 pan
• high speed blender

Note** You can use any brownie recipe you’d like and follow the rest of the recipe- or use the one I used. For example, I used a recipe with eggs-if vegan, you can substitute the brownie portion with an eggless recipe.

What you will need:

• 8×8 pan
• high speed blender

Flourless brownie recipe adapted from runningwithspoons

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil (plus extra for greasing the pan)
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup 85% cacao content dark chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup raw coconut sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 3 Tbsp arrowroot powder (can sub tapioca starch)
• 1/4 tsp pink himalayan salt

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine coconut oil and chocolate chips in a pan over low heat or in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes until coconut oil and chocolate are both melted and combined. Set this mixture aside to cool and then whisk together eggs, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined. Next, add the chocolate and coconut oil mixture to the bowl and mix until well combined. Finally, add the cacao powder, arrowroot powder or tapioca starch, and salt and combine until you have a smooth, thick, and chocolatey batter. On a parchment lined coconut oil greased 8×8 pan, add your batter and smooth out until evenly distributed. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pan and carefully pull out the parchment paper with the brownies so that the brownies don’t continue cooking. Let the pan and brownies cool and begin the cheesecake portion.

Poached rhubarb (for lattice topping and to be used in the cheesecake layer):

Ingredients:

• at least 6 stalks of rhubarb for the lattice
• 1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb for the cheesecake layer
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp lemon zest

For the rhubarb lattice: Carefully slice rhubarb as thinly as possible, about 1/16th inch thick. You can use a vegetable peeler or a mandoline (be careful, I recently lost a piece of thumb to a mandoline). You will need 12 strips of rhubarb to create your lattice, 6X6.  I tried to use a peeler but it was nearly impossible, so I just carefully sliced the rhubarb stalks as thinly as possible. It doesn’t have to be an exact measurement, just remember while you’re slicing that they need to be thin enough to feasibly weave a lattice pattern with.

In a large sauce pan, bring water, vanilla, coconut sugar, and lemon zest to a boil. Once at a rapid boil, add rhubarb. I can’t stress enough how quickly the rhubarb will cook and soften. After 2-3 minutes they will probably be good to go, you want them to be slightly soft so that you can work with them and they won’t fall apart. Place on a paper towel lined plate and let cool for a few minutes.

 

For the cheesecake:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cashews (soaked for a few hours or overnight)
• 1-4 tbsp water (add as needed)
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups poached rhubarb (directions below)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup honey (or liquid sweetener of your choice, could sub with maple syrup)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp rosewater

*For the rhubarb to be added into the cheesecake layer, dice 1 1/2 cups worth and add to the boiling water and sugar mixture at the same time as the rhubarb strips for the lattice, cook for 3 minutes,remove, and let cool.

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to your high speed blender. Start with just a tablespoon of water and add more if the mixture is too dry. Blend ingredients until you have a thick and smooth mixture. Taste for any neceessary adjustments, i.e add more sweetener if you deem it necessary, add more zest if it lacks tartness etc. Finally, fetch the brownie pan that you set aside and line it with parchment paper or wax paper, I used ziplock bags because I ran out of parchment paper, this worked as well! Place the brownies (not cut) back into the pan as they had fit previously. Pour cheesecake mixture on top and spread across the brownies evenly.

Making the rhubarb lattice topping:

On a paper towel or piece of parchment paper, lay out your strips of rhubarb and carefully weave together in an over under patter, 6 strips of rhubarb laid vertically and 6 strips laid horizontally. If possible, try to alternate lighter and darker shades of rhubarb for a more striking appearance.

(here is the pattern before going into the freezer)

Add your pan to the freezer for at least 3 hours to let it set. When cheesecake layer is hardened, remove and slice as you wish. I tried cutting squares at first, and then decided on bars.

(unable to commit:squares or bars?)