Wow Your Friends With This Almond Butter Cheesecake (It's Vegan!)

This no-bake cheesecake includes almond butter flavor in every creamy, silky bite. Cashews and coconut oil create vegan cheesecake magic — no oven required for nutty cheesecake bliss. You can substitute peanut butter for the almond butter, if desired.

Serves 12

1. For the crust, grease a pie dish with coconut oil. In a blender or food processor, process the crust ingredients and press them into the prepared dish until a loose crust forms.

2. For the cheesecake filling, drain the soaked cashews and rinse with warm water. Place the cashews, salt, and cinnamon in a blender or food processor. Start blending on low and pour in the agave, coconut oil and almond butter. Keep blending until the mixture is silky smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the blender if a few cashews get stuck. Add a splash of water if the mixture is too thick to blend (this can happen if the cashews haven't been soaked long enough).

3. Pour filling into the pie dish and smooth the top. Chill in the fridge until firm enough to slice, at least 2 hours—overnight is best. To speed up chilling time: place in the freezer for 1 hour just after pouring filling, then back in the fridge. Serve chilled. Store any leftovers, covered, in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.

Excerpted from Healthy Happy Vegan Kitchen Copyright © 2015 by Kathy Patalsky. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.