I can’t believe it is just 10 more days till Christmas and 5 more sleeps until we move! We are getting so excited, and to be honest will probably be drinking Spanish wine and watching Elf from our hotel room on Christmas day, but hey, we will be together and that is all that matters.

I just finished over 4 hours of appointments and paperwork to get my dog transported to Spain (and that was just today, never mind the millions of phone calls and other paperwork I had to do leading up to this).  My dog officially is the most expensive and loved dog in the history of ever, and I am ok with that.

Seriously, you can’t even begin to understand how much paperwork it takes to get a dog either to Hawaii or international.  Or how many times I have to overnight one little piece of paper to get some government stamp of approval.  Ah I could go on and on about all that wasted time and money on so many levels, but I won’t.

Sorry for the rant…and now all I can think about is wanting sweets and pasta and all the foods I can’t actually eat.  So here are healthy treats instead!

I absolutely love all things maple flavored and cinnamon spiced, including the “Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls” from my cookbook and these adorable mini gingerbread bundt cakes.

I truly couldn’t decide on a name for these little cheesecakes—they totally were a cross between a gingersnap and a snickerdoodle to me, so hey I just named them both!  These cheesecakes store fabulously, so you can always make them the day ahead of time! Please note: like all my treats, they are not very sweet, so if you have a big sweet tooth, you might enjoy an extra drizzle of maple syrup on yours!

Merry Christmas friend!

Gingersnap Snickerdoodle Cheesecakes

makes 6 4-inch mini tarts

Gingersnap Crust

• 1 cup raw pecans
• 1 cup almond flour or hazelnut flour
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
• 2 tbsp maple sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Snickerdoodle Filling

• 2 cup raw cashew pieces
• 4 tbsp butter or ghee softened
• 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses* or maple syrup
• 1 cup heavy cream of coconut cream
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2tsp ground nutmeg

*You can also use pure maple syrup here—the recipe texture will remain the same, the taste will just lack that unique gingerbread flavor and instead have a more maple flavor, which I personally love!

Directions

• Place the cashews in warm water for 20 minutes.  Strain completely and place on a paper towel to dry completely while you are making the crusts.
• Warm the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange the baking rack to the lowest possible position.  Brush the 6 tart pans with removable bottoms with coconut oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
• Add the pecans, flours, maple sugar,, spices and baking soda to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to a flour like consistency.  Add the butter and syrup and blend until a crumbly ball of dough starts to form.  As soon as the dough starts to move around like a ball, stop your food processor.
• Divide the dough between 6 mini tart pans with removable bottoms.  Use your fingers to press into the bottoms and slightly up the sides of a pan.  Bake on the rimmed baking sheet for 11-13 minutes, watching carefully as nuts can burn easily.
• Clean the food processor.
• Add the softened but dry cashews and butter to the food processor and blend until smooth (it is important to get the right consistency before adding the remaining ingredients).  Add in the remaining ingredients and blend again until incorporated.
• Divid the cashew filling amounts the cooled crusts, smoothing the top out with a flat knife or small spatula. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
• Garnish with berries, whipped cream or coconut cream, and a dash of cinnamon.