Graham Cracker and Pecan Crust, Filled with a Blend of Honey Pecan Cream Cheese, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Whipped Cream, Vanilla Honey, Cooked Beats and Vanilla

I haven’t posted a dessert recipe in what has felt like FOREVER, so to me this is long overdue! I have been meaning to craft up a beet dessert recipe for quite awhile, but couldn’t decide on what exactly I wanted to make. The idea for a beet dessert came from a beet cake I had last summer in a small microbrewery. My boyfriend and I ordered it from the menu because it was unique and we were blown away by how good it was! Not too sweet and you could still taste the essence of the beets without it being overpowering. For two beet lovers like us, this was incredibly delicious! I ended up combining that idea with a dessert my Mom would always make during the summer – a cheese pie topped with fresh fruit! It always had a graham cracker crust and creamy filling – decadent and savory all at the same time. This recipe took some trial and error trying to figure out the best way to serve the pie. At first, I refrigerated it for 24 hours and still found it had a mousse like consistency and was a bit runny when cutting to serve. So, I tried freezing it after seeing a number of “freezer cheesecake” recipes out there and found that was the perfect consistency for it! So, if you’re in the mood for something unique, tasty and refreshing, I would give this recipe a try. Thank you  Taproot Farm for the beautiful organic beets (I am still obsessing over the final color!), Melanie’s Medleys for the incredible honey pecan cream cheese. Enjoy! 🙂

Makes 10 Servings

*Beets need cooked beforehand ~ I used these instructions: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-roast-beets-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-172827.*

Recipe by © Alysha Melnyk 2018

Kitchen Tools:

Tart Pan (I use this one)

Stand Mixer

Measuring Spoons

Measuring Cups

Liquid Measuring Cup

Whisk

Mixing Spoon or Rubber Spatula

Tart Tamper

Food Processor

Blender

Ingredients:

For Crust:

2 Sheets of Vanilla Graham Crackers (I used Nabisco Brand), Ground

1 Cup Raw Pecans, Ground

4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, Melted

For Filling:

1 and 1/3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

8 Ounces Pecan Honey Cream Cheese from Melanie’s Medleys (Use Code ALYSHA15 for $15 Off Any Order! 🙂 )

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Teaspoon Honey (I used a vanilla honey from Funny Farm Apiaries)

1/2 Cup of Cooked Beets, Diced

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For Topping:

*Sugared Beet Slices ~ Slice Three Small Beets (Thinly), Sugar Both Sides (I Used Rose Sugar), and Bake at 250°F for 1 Hour* – Make these in advance if using.

Extra Honey

Raw Pecans

Instructions:

1. For the pie crust: Combine the vanilla graham crackers, pecans and coconut oil in a food processor and process until smooth and combined. Lightly grease your tart pan with a dab of coconut oil and then pour this mixture into your pan. Use a tart tamper to press the crust into the base (make it compact, because it is a thick crust). You can also use your hands to do this if you don’t have a tart tamper.
2. For the pie filling: Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until medium peaks form, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. In your blender, combine the pecan honey cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, honey, cooked beets, and vanilla extract. Blend until everything is smooth and combined.
4. Pour this mixture into your whipped cream mixture and gently combine (I used an icing spatula to do this). I did up and down circular motions to combine everything.
5. For assembly: Pour this into your tart pan and smooth.
6. Top with decorations of choice.
7. Cover and stick in your freezer for 2 to 4 hours until firm.
8. Slice and enjoy! 🙂