With just minutes of hands-on work, you get to treat yourself to this healthy, protein rich freezer fudge. The only hard part will be waiting on your freezer to do its magic!
Remember the old Pringles slogan “Once you pop, you can’t stop”? Who’s with me in saying that this is like my life slogan when it comes to food? Especially sweets. I’ve always been so envious of those friends who bring home a pint of ice cream, eat a spoonful, and then forget about it in the freezer for a week or two. I’m like, seriously?? If I buy that pint of ice cream, it almost never sees the light of another day.
In some dreamland this totally wouldn’t be a problem. But in the real world, stuffing your face full of sweets on a regular basis can take a real toll on your health. Even if we bring moderation into the equation, the type of ingredients we put into our bodies truly matters. Now, more than ever, we have to fight for the health of our families. Social pressure to eat junk (especially during the holidays) is a real battle.
Let’s fight the good fight one healthy treat at a time, starting with this pumpkin cashew fudge!
The base of this pumpkin cashew freezer fudge is made up of cashew butter. Cashews are a rich source of protein and healthy fats, as well as many vitamins and minerals. Next, there’s our secret veggie in here you don’t have to tell the kids about: good ole pumpkin! This veggie is boasted to help fight against disease, support your eyesight, and lower your risk of heart disease. Coconut oil also helps pull this fudge together. Studies are finding that it may just be key in fighting against Alzheimer’s.
Honey serves as the sweetener in this recipe. This sweet, whole food has long been known for its antimicrobial activity and ability to heal wounds! Cinnamon takes this freezer fudge up a notch, as well as adds its own medicinal properties to the mix; it even looks promising as a helper in type 2 diabetes treatment! Finally, a pinch of sea salt pulls the whole kit and caboodle together! (As an added bonus, this pumpkin cashew freezer fudge happens to be dairy-free!)
How to make pumpkin cashew freezer fudge
Let’s make our pumpkin cashew freezer fudge! First, choose an option: you can use your favorite silicone mold or a loaf pan. If you have a silicone mold, you’re set! Skip down to Step 5.
If you are using a loaf pan, line it with a piece of parchment paper. To make the parchment paper fit a little more nicely in your pan, you can do what I did!
Step 1: Trace the bottom of the loaf pan on the parchment paper using a pencil. (See the picture above.) Tip: Don’t use a marker; it’ll end up on your fudge!
Step 2: Cut out the shape from the parchment paper, leaving one to two inches around the outside of the rectangle.
Step 3: Cut each of the corners all the way to the shape you traced.
Step 4: Place the parchment paper in the loaf pan, folding the cut edges one behind the other.
Step 5: Add all of the ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl. Tip: If your coconut oil is solid, you can melt it in one of the following ways: place it in a heat safe bowl and 1) pop it in a microwave for a few seconds, 2) place the bowl in a pan of hot water, 3) set the bowl in between the burners of a stovetop (if there’s space to do so), or 4) set the bowl near or in the oven (if it’s an oven safe bowl).
Step 6: Whisk the ingredients together really well.
Step 7: Add the mixture to your loaf pan or silicone mold and place it in your freezer for 1 to 2 hours, or until solid. Note: I used a different sized parchment paper piece here. Your parchment paper should be sticking out where you can see it. This will make it super easy to pull out and cut it into pieces later.
Step 8: Take your pumpkin cashew freezer fudge out of the freezer; pull on the sides of the parchment paper and lift your fudge out of the pan; and cut the solid mixture into pieces. You’re done! Enjoy!
Pumpkin Cashew Freezer Fudge (Dairy-Free)
With just minutes of hands-on work, you get to treat yourself to this healthy, protein rich freezer fudge. The only hard part will be waiting on your freezer to do its magic!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1/4 pumpkin puree (purchase in a can or make it yourself)]
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Take out your favorite silicone mold or a loaf pan.
- If you have a loaf pan, line it with parchment paper. For instructions on how to help your parchment paper fit more easily into your loaf pan, check out the post above.
- Add all the ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients together until the mixture is really smooth.
- Pour/spoon the mixture into your silicone mold(s) or your loaf pan.
- Place the mold(s) or loaf pan in the freezer and freeze for 1-2 hours or until solid.
- Once solid, pop your freezer fudge out of the molds or lift the parchment paper out of the loaf pan and cut the fudge into squares with a sharp knife.
- Serve immediately or place your fudge in a freezer safe container and put back in the freezer to serve at a future time.
Check out more fall recipes
Apple Pie Freezer Fudge (Dairy-Free)
Healthy, Homemade Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino (Dairy-Free)