Vegan Cashew Vanilla Frosting

Let’s talk all things cupcakes. You guys know that I love dessert in any form, and before I was diagnosed with Crohns, cupcakes were my absolute fave. I loved the sweetness and the smoothness (is that a word?) in the frosting and the spongy cakey bottom of the muffin. When I had to start cutting out gluten and dairy, it was really hard to cut out some of my favorite foods. I couldn’t imagine going without some of my favorite savory foods, but cutting out all those sweets was nearly impossible.

Ever since then I have been on the hunt for the best alternatives. I have found ways to make those savory staples (like bread or pretzels) gluten and dairy free and even some of those sweet things. I love making my own cookies, cakes, and muffins, but I have struggled with the silky sweet frosting that’s supposed to go on top. Any dairy free option I have found is loaded with processed sugars and always tastes “fake.” I know I don’t eat dairy, but I certainly don’t want to be reminded of that when I’m eating something I’m supposed to enjoy you feel? So after playing around with many different recipes, I’d like to think that I’ve perfected the vegan vanilla frosting. It has no processed sugars and no weird words you can’t pronounce. All of the ingredients are easy to find, you might already have them in your home! Hope you guys like it!

Tip: soak the nuts overnight to ensure that they are soft and ready to blend. And be patient! Take your time using the food processor because the longer you blend it for, the smoother it’ll get.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashews

• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts (can sub 1 and 1/2 cups cashews total)

• 1 cup coconut cream

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 tbsp maple syrup

• 2 and 1/2 tbsp water

• pinch sea salt

Recipe:

1. Soak nuts for 4+ hours

2. Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth! If you want it more liquidy, you can add another tbs water as needed

3. You can also add an extra tablespoon or so of maple syrup if you want it to be a little sweeter

4. Store in the fridge if you don’t use all of it. It’s definitely better fresh because it stays the perfect consistency. It hardens a little in the fridge, so give it a stir if that happens to loosen it up a little