This post is sponsored by Vitamix.
There is literally no better hostess gift than this Cashew Chocolate Spread. All you need is 5 ingredients, 5 minutes, a Vitamix blender and a pretty jar.
I love Christmas and the holiday season! I love the anticipation and I love the actual celebration. It’s the perfect time to enjoy extended conversations without stress of having to go anywhere or do anything.
Time to share a moment as a family, as a group, and give each other a strong sense of belonging and community. It is also the time our children make unforgettable memories because we, their parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles live and enjoy the present moment so much.
I myself have the fondest memories of Christmas in Peru, where my mother is from and where we travelled to at least every other year to celebrate Christmas with our Peruvian family. Now, I make an effort to provide my children the same unforgettable experience by either taking them “home” (being Germany or Mexico) or getting together with friends in Montreal.
Whenever we are invited over to a friend’s house for the holidays I love to bring the hostess a very special gift.
Decorations are not my cup of tea because it is very difficult to meet someone’s taste when it comes to home decor. The same applies to pieces of clothing or perfumes and lotions. Unless you know the person inside out, better stay away from giving them any of these as a gift.
Food and drink is ALWAYS a good hostess gift idea!! Include chocolate and I’m sure 99.99% of people receiving it will beam with joy. The other 0.01% are weird and you better stay away from them. How scary! Imagine your hostess’s face when you hand her a jar of this deliciously creamy Cashew Chocolate Spread!
A hazelnut spread is a) nothing special and b) takes forever to make because you’ve got to peel the hazelnuts out of their peels to remove the bitterness. Roast them to remove the peel or soak them to remove the peel, makes no difference, it’s a pain.
Cashews are soooo much better for a chocolate spread. Like why did anybody ever think a hazelnut spread is a good idea?!?
The greatest of all hostess gifts: A healthy Cashew Chocolate Spread
5 ingredients, 5 minutes, your powerful Vitamix blender, a.k.a. your must-have-blender, and you end up with 2 jars of this delicious Cashew Chocolate Spread. What’s the best part about this last sentence? Exactly, the 2! One for the hostess you want to make happy and one……for you!!!
Coat a piece of bread or fruit with some Cashew Chocolate Spread and enjoy right away. Just don’t forget that the second jar is a hostess gift!! Eating this homemade healthy spread by the spoon full you’ll finish both jars in no time and end up without anything to give away. Uh-oh!
And this is where I should probably warn you. This stuff is super addictive and will require all your will power so you make it to your hostess’s door with a full jar. If you are like me, better don’t even try it before giving away.
I made this recipe 3 times. First to test it, then to photograph it and then to film the video. So in theory I should have ended up with 6 jars of Cashew Chocolate Spread, right? Well, my neighbor got one. A friend got another. Another friend got to try a little from one jar. And the rest ….. all in my belly. Ahem.
It’s a good thing it only takes 5 minutes to make more…. :)
5-Minute Cashew Chocolate Spread
Ingredients
- 2 cups cashews
- 1 Tbsp dutch-processed or raw cacao
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a Vitamix high performance blender and start blending on low.
- Increase and decrease speed as needed using the tamper to push down the ingredients.
- Once smooth pour into pretty jars and decorate :)
Recipe Notes
This post was sponsored by Vitamix. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Green Healthy Cooking!
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Joyce says
I do not have a Vitamix…can I use a Ninja?
Lorena says
I would assume it works in a Ninja, too. Maybe just in case, take breaks in between processing so the motor can cool down. Never risk burning your blender’s motor.
Bette says
I am sooooo going to make this! Likes fabulous. Quick question. Are the cashews first soaked for an hour or so?
Lorena says
I don’t but you could certainly do this to make it a bit easier on your blender.
Sue says
Can I substitute dates or apple sauce for coconut sugar?
Lorena says
Hi Sue, I think dates will work great. Apple Sauce would make it last a lot less time because it would rot faster.
Sandra says
Do you have the nutritional facts for this recipe? Thank you.
Lorena says
Hi Sandra, no I’m sorry. I’m not a registered dietician or nutritionist and don’t feel comfortable using an online calculator. You can google “nutrition calculator” and enter the ingredients to get an estimate but I don’t know how accurate they are.
Maureen says
Are the cashews salted or unsalted?
Lorena says
I used raw unsalted cashews but I can imagine salted cashews to taste great in this recipe, too.
Gaby says
How long does it keep?
Lorena says
I kept in for 10 days on the kitchen counter and on day 10 it smelled and tasted the same as day 1. I can’t tell like food-safety-police kind but friend to friend…. 10 days on the kitchen counter shoudn’t be a porblem and in the fridge probably more like 3-4 weeks.
Kathrin says
I have everything but Coconut sugar. Can I use normal organic sugar? If yes, should I make it finer? Or wait until I buy the coconut sugar? How about maple sugar (for those Canadians)
Lorena says
No need to make it fine. Coconut sugar is quite coarse actually. You can easily replace with maple sugar, turbinado sugar, dry brown sugar, even granulated refined white sugar. Just make sure it’s not powdered sugar or wet brown sugar because the blender might not be able to work through the heavy dense consistency and you’ll never achieve a smooth spread.
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says
This looks sooo good and you’re Right perfect gift for the holidays. And agreed the Holidays are definitely all about being in the moment. Have a great week :)
Lorena says
Thank you Stephanie. What a lovely comment :)
Christa says
Looks great! Does it need to be refrigerated?
Lorena says
Thank you Christa, no, it doesn’t have to be refrigerated. At least not right away. I would say you’re fine leaving it on the kitchen counter for a week. If you think the jar will last longer put it in the fridge and take out about an hour before consuming so it softens up. It becomes hard in the fridge due to chocolate and coconut oil.
brita says
OMG this looks SO yummy. I’m going to try it this weekend. And, as always, your photography and video are beautiful!
Lorena says
Thank you Brita!! This means so much to me! ?