Vegan Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake with Chocolate Cookie Crust

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Liberally grease a springform pan or pie plate (especially the bottom!) and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the chocolate cookies or wafers until they are ground into a fine crumb. Add the agave nectar or maple syrup and continue to pulse together for another 30 seconds or until mixture comes together. Press cookie crust into the bottom of the greased pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven when done. While crust is baking, prepare the filling.

In the bowl of a blender or food processor, blend together cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, cornstarch, and vanilla on high until smooth and creamy. This should take about 30 seconds to a minute, depending on your machine. Once mixture has come together, pour it into your prebaked cookie crust. Prepare chocolate swirl mixture as directed below and swirl into the filling mixture.

For the chocolate swirl, melt the chocolate chips and almond milk in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute, or until melted together. Add to cheesecake filling.

Bake cheesecake for 35–40 minutes, or until set and edges are starting to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.