Crunchy Cashew Spread
A simple combination of dates and cashews, this chunky cashew spread is delicious on toast, waffles, French toast…you name it!
Before we dive into the dramatic story involving this cashew spread, I’d just like to give a heads up that there won’t be an Ingredient of the Week this week. I know, sad week. But it’s because it was a happy week! Three of my favorite people came to town and I just wasn’t about to spend that time blogging.
But I did make this tasty nut butter spread of sorts before they arrived, and well, it was never meant to be a nut butter. I’d aimed to make a smooth vegan caramel to go on the Chocolate Mousse Pie, so I conjured up a recipe involving pureed cashews and dates. But when I opened the food processor, I was met not with caramel but with this crunchy, thick, butter stuff. Angrily, I threw it in a jar and forgot about it.
That is until I woke up the next morning and was searching my fridge for something to top my toast. My eyes landed on the shunned nut spread and I realized I’d been trying to make the poor nut spread into something it was not. It was never meant to be a smooth and sultry caramel sauce, but rather a voluminous toast-topper!
Basically I just threw cashews and dates into the food processor and blended until as smooth as possible, then added coconut oil and cashew milk and a few other flavor boosters.
This created a thick spread, so I did some research into how you might achieve a smoother sauce.
- Soak the cashews in water longer (like 5 hours).
- Soak dates in hot water (20 minutes).
- Puree dates and cashews separately until as smooth as possible.
- Once pureed separately, combine with flavor boosters (vanilla, lemon, salt), then puree and slowly add coconut oil then cashew milk.
Following these tips will make for a smoother spread. But the recipe below is for the chunky tasty accident.
Crunchy Cashew Spread
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup dates seeded and halved
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked 1 hour
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt 1/8 tsp
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup cashew milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a food processor, puree seeded dates and soaked cashews until as smooth as possible.
- Add lemon juice, vanilla, and salt then continue pureeing.
- With food processor running, slowly add coconut oil, then cashew milk.
- Use as a spread on warm toast, pancakes, waffles, or even on Eggless French Toast
