I have to say everyone has different opinions when it comes to white chocolate, but I’ve always been a HUGE fan. Yeah, I know, secrets out now I guess, miss holistic hero ain’t so healthy after all? White chocolate really isn’t chocolate, which is why it gets a bad rep in the “chocolate world”. Since eating less dairy, and wanting to avoid the evils of general sugar-filled white chocolate, I’ve been on the hunt to find or create my own white chocolate delectables.
Interestingly enough, while I discovered the perch blend of cacao butter and cashew butter which tastes just like white chocolate (only healthier), I discovered this incredible brand called “Bake Believe” which uses red stevia as a sole sweetener in all their chips (white, milk, semi-sweet and dark). I fell in LOVE with the brand, the chips are perfectly synonymous with the real taste, have zero grams of sugar, are fairly priced and just delicious. I must disclose that the white and milk chips do have dairy, but are simply a great alternative to sugar-filled chips, and I added them optionally in this recipe as a fun topping.
Anyways, lets cut to the chase. This recipe is actually quite simple if you have these 5 ingredients in your home, cashew butter (homemade or store bought), cacao butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla.
All the nitty-gritty details are waiting for you down below on the recipe print-out but in simple terms, you’ll want to begin by melting the cacao butter. This can be done in the microwave but I do recommend doing so on a stovetop. Once melted, add the cacao butter with the cashew butter, maple syrup, and vanilla into a food processor and process lightly until smooth.
Once processed, lightly grease a silicone mold with residual melted cacao butter or an oil of choice, and place the mixture halfway into molds. I placed half the mixture into each, sprinkled in stevia chocolate chips, then filled up each mold again, sprinkling with cinnamon and sea salt.
Take the molds and place in a freezer for about 45 minutes to one hour until the mixture is completely solidified. You REALLY want to make sure the mixture is completely solidified not to risk the batter melting or falling apart once you pop it out of each mold.
I also want to stress that while you can use coconut oil as an alternative, it may affect taste, you want to stick with cashew butter if you can as this will completely change the recipe dynamic if you use any other nut butter.
You really do have the flexibility to top these babies with whatever you’d like whether it be nuts, spices, chocolate, coconut flakes or even a superfood of choice! I just adore these and must also warn that if you leave them in the fridge it can be hard to just yourself or others in your home not to plow into them at 2 am when no one is watching (been there, done that).
These are really synonymous to real white chocolate in taste and even texture, without all the extra sugar, junky FSO’s (that’s my term for “food shaped objects”) and all in a quick simple recipe.
I honestly can’t wait for you to try these guys out and freak out once you realize how recent they are. Let me know below what you think or message/tag me on Instagram!
White Chocolate Cashew Cups (Vegan)
A die-hard white chocolate lovers dream, VEGAN STYLE and just 5 ingredients. It's creamy, perfectly chocolatey and addictive. I promise, it's not too good to be true.
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup Cacao Butter (or coconut but preferably cacao)
- 1/2 Cup Cashew Butter
- 2-3 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tsp Cinnamon
- 2 Tsp Sea Salt
- 1/3 Cup Vegan White Chocolate Chips (optional)
Instructions
1. In a pot, add about 1/4 cup water and boil until steaming. Chop the cacao butter into pieces and place into a seperate bowl (double boiler method). Place the bowl over the steamed/boiled water (2-3 inches away from water so that the seperate bowl does not actually touch the water).
2. You can also use a microwave, but I recommend the double boiler stovetop method as the microwave is more painstaking and can alter taste.
3. Once melted, add the cacao butter, cashew butter, maple syrup and vanilla into a food processor and process lightly until smooth and creamy. (Make sure there are no chunks of any kind)
4. Lightly grease a silicone mold of choice with residual melted cacao butter or oil of choice, and place the batter halfway into each mold. Place chocolate chips, coconut flakes or nuts in and then add the rest of the batter to fill each mold.
5. Place the molds into the freezer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until completely solidified and sprinkle cinnamon on top w additional toppings if desired.
6. Pop each cup out of each mold and enjoy!
Notes
I also want to stress that while you can use coconut oil as an alternative, it may affect taste, you want to stick with cashew butter if you can as this will completely change the recipe dynamic if you use any other nut butter.
