Vegan Apple Cheesecake Pretzel Bars

I know it’s the middle of winter and apples are technically a “fall fruit” but as far as I’m concerned, cheesecake is in season year round so vegan apple cheesecake it is! These vegan apple cheesecake bars are so rich and creamy, with a tofu based filling, an (addicting) salty pretzel crust and cinnamon brown sugar apples on top, it’s the perfect dessert for any time of year!

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with making the perfect vegan cheesecake, and I’ve found that extra firm tofu really does the trick. I’ve seen a few recipes that use silken or firm, but these tend to just turn to pudding at room temperature. Extra firm gives it a really nice smooth, creamy texture and it also holds its shape out of the fridge. This is why it’s also important to get was much moisture as possible out of the tofu before you blend it up.

I like to use a food processor to blend the filling for the vegan apple cheesecake, just because it helps to work out some of the clumps from the tofu, but a high speed blender, like a Vitamix will work too. You’ll probably need to blend it longer than you think— at least 2 minutes, in order to get rid of that grainy texture.