Raw Salted Caramel Cashew Cream Pie Bites

A few days ago, a friend of mine hit me with a question.

"If you had to choose between the two, would you rather live without cashew nuts or avocados?"

My immediate reaction was to ditch the quiet and unassuming cashew nut in favour of the glorious green avocado. After all, I eat avocado almost every day in a salad, in home made guac or smashed up on toast.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realised just how much you can do with the humble cashew.

Making a vegan cheese sauce? You'd be screwed without cashews. Want a creamy plant based dessert? Cashew got your back. Need a protein packed snack? Look no further than a handful of cashew nuts.

In my opinion cashews are also one of the most important foods for helping people transition to a vegan diet. One of the things we miss the most is creaminess, which cashews have in abundance and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes.

I never got any closer to answering the question. But all this cashew pondering did help me come up with a killer new recipe.

These Raw Salted Caramel Cashew Cream Pie Slices are what vegan dreams are made of. High in protein, easy to prepare and absolutely no cooking required.

Jackpot!

Here's how to make them:

RAW SALTED CARAMEL CASHEW CREAM PIE SLICES

Serves 12

INGREDIENTS:

For the base:

• 2 cups raw cashew nuts
  
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
  
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin coconut oil
  
• 2 teaspoons coconut nectar
  

For the caramel filling:

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 8 hours or overnight
  
• 1 cup pitted medjool dates
  
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
  
• 1 scoop Salted Maca Caramel PERFORM
  
• Pinch Himalayan salt
  
• Pinch of vanilla powder / Splash of vanilla extract

For the cashew cream:

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 8 hours or overnight
• 3 large medjool dates, pitted

METHOD:

1. Line an 8 x 12cm container with baking parchment.

2. Process all of the base ingredients in a food processor until they come together in a ball. Press this into the container and transfer to the fridge to chill.

3. Meanwhile, make the caramel filling by blending all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth. Spread this mixture over the base then transfer to the freezer to set.

4. Once set, cut into slices with a hot knife. Make your cashew cream by blending the remaining ingredients, then piping a little of the mixture on top of each slice. Serve and enjoy!