Sweetened black sesame paste is a mega-superstar in desserts. This is well known in east asian countries like Japan and China where it is a quintessential staple in sweet treats like ice cream, pastries, cakes and glutinous rice balls. In western culture we know how well nuts like pistachios, almonds and pecans work in all sorts of sweet applications, too many to list really. Black sesame lends a similar nuttiness to desserts although for some reason has not enjoyed the same ubiquity. The color maybe? Perhaps now is the time to give yourself to the Dark Side!

If you're not familiar with "raw cheesecake" it's really not cheesecake at all. It is made mainly with soaked cashew nuts. So besides being absurdly delicious, these are dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free. What! And just one of these bars is enough to satisfy my giant sweet tooth so you could make a batch and share with your loved ones. Or not! They do keep exceptionally well in the freezer.

Referenced and adapted Green Kitchen Stories' "Pumpkin Pie Caramel Bars" and My New Roots' "Raw Cashew Dreamcake" for the basic raw cheesecake part of the recipe. Makes 16 bars measuring approx 1" x 2.5" each.