Vegan Cranberry “Cheesecake”

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper draped over each side for easy lifting. Set aside.
2. Combine all cookie base ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined and can form into a ball easily.
3. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mix and press the rest into the prepared pan, ensuring that it’s well compacted. Place in the fridge.
4. Prepare the cranberry orange sauce. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, uncovered on medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10-12 minutes until mixture has thickened to the same consistency of cranberry sauce. Remove from heat cool 20 minutes. *Note: The cranberry orange sauce can also be made and used as the cranberry sauce for your Christmas dinner table!
5. Combine all cream cheese filling ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and combine until smooth. Top the cookie base with the cream cheese mixture and smooth out with the back of a spoon. Return back to the fridge until the cranberry mixture has cooled.
6. Top the cream cheese layer with cranberry sauce (remove the cinnamon stick). Drop mounds of the sauce all over the pan so that you don’t have to spread the sauce too far over cream cheese. Spread gently.
7. Once the cranberry layer is smoothed, sprinkle with the reserved 1/4 cup cookie base mix.
8. Cover the pan and allow to chill overnight. When ready to serve, lift out of the pan with the edges of the parchment paper and cut into 12 squares with a sharp knife, cleaning the knife between each cut to maintain the colors and layers of the squares.

Will keep for 4 days in the fridge. Can be cut into squares and then frozen for up to 1 month.