So here's the story with this raw vegan raspberry and white chocolate bark: wild raspberry season is beginning to come to an end around here, and so I've been trying to take advantage of the acres {I'm not exaggerating!} of raspberry bushes we have around here to do something easy and fun with them. I decided not to go full on with the berry picking this year {and the deer, gophers, and bunnies have been more than happy with my decision so far...}. Instead I spent tons of quality time outdoors with my pups, the three of us picking and eating the berries daily right off the bushes -- I think this will be a "ritual" I'll keep for years to come ;) . It's really incredible being able to enjoy nature's abundance and to share it with all the little creatures we share this space with!
I did pick some for recipes though {couldn't resist} and made some jam with them {using this recipe}, added them to porridge and my morning cereals, and also of course made some of our favorites around here {Gluten-Free Vegan Raspberry Almond Squares, Raspberry White Chocolate Paleo and Vegan Tapioca Pudding, and Heavenly Raw Vegan White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake}. Notice a pattern there? Yeah, I love my white chocolate with raspberries ;) . So here's another easy one for you: Raw Vegan Raspberry and White Chocolate Bark {Gluten-Free, Paleo}. The combination of chilled white chocolate and raspberries was super refreshing on a hot summer day, but the creaminess of the cashew butter makes it also go really well with a cup of good coffee or tea. Enjoy it however you like it best -- I bet it won't last too long ;)
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Raw Vegan Raspberry and White Chocolate Bark
Prep Time: 5 minutes- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: approx. a 7" x 5" bark
Category: Chocolate
Method: No-Bake
Cuisine: Dessert
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Pin RecipeDescription
Vegan white chocolate bark with raspberries... beautiful, festive, and refreshing yet rich. Try it chilled for summer, or served with coffee/ tea for winter.
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted cocoa butter {white chocolate butter; not coconut}
- ¼ cup cashew butter, at room temperature {I bet macadamia butter would work well too}
- 3 tbsp liquid sweetener of your choice, at room temperature {I used maple syrup}
- ⅛ tsp raw ground vanilla bean
- ¼ cup raspberries {I used wild since they are a bit smaller}
- a few tablespoon slivered almonds
Instructions
- Place all ingredients, except raspberries and almonds, in a small blender {I used my magic bullet}, and blend until the mixture is smooth.
- Line a small baking tray or a flat plate with parchment paper. Pour the blended mixture onto the parchment paper and use a spoon to spread it out flat to about ¼″ thickness.
- Sprinkle with raspberries and slivered almonds.
- Place the tray in the freezer and allow it to set for about an hour.
- Remove from freezer, rough chop it with a knife and enjoy! Store any leftovers in the freezer.
It tasted amazing, but 1 the bark didn't solidify and 2 the colour was golden, due to the maple syrup obviously.
★★★★
Hi Muna, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hm, that's odd it didn't solidify. Did you change anything in the ingredients by any chance? How long was it frozen for? And were any of the ingredients warm while in the blender (thinking maybe that would mean they needed more time to freeze perhaps)?
Can you use crushed peppermint candy instead of raspberries for this recipe?
Hi Becky, yeah for sure. That would be delicious :)
I tried this but I’m afraid mine is brown rather than white! Sad :(
Hi Deb. What sweetener did you use? Some sweeteners that are darker in color, like coconut syrup or date syrup can darken the color. I usually use maple syrup which results in the color in the photos.
I made this tasty bark & loved every bite! :) So good! I also presented it as a nice edible gift to my parents-in-law! They also loved it. I also gave them your blog address! :)
★★★★★
Aw, so glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for the lovely feedback, Sophie.
What a beautiful recipe Audrey, thank you so much! One question though: do you think I could sub the raspberries with frozen raspberries? I am afraid that's all I have on hand..x Sarah
Absolutely :) In fact, you could crush them a bit first since they're frozen so you get smaller pieces throughout instead of big chunks.
What is white chocolate butter?
Hi Linda, it's cacao/cocoa butter, which is the fat from the cacao bean {usually you'll notice it being listed as the third ingredient in chocolate bars, for example}. It looks like this picture. It's got an amazing aroma and flavor. In a white chocolate bar for instance, you'll typically see in the ingredients cocoa butter, powdered dairy, and a ton of sugar. It's the butter that gives it the chocolate flavor. You can read more about cocoa butter here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_butter
I just wrote white chocolate butter besides the name to clarify, as a lot of the time people confuse "cocoa butter" with "coco butter", which is a product made out of coconut and while it will still taste good in this recipe it will not taste anything like white chocolate. That's what happened when I sent my husband to the store once years ago -- he came back with jars of coconut butter instead of cacao butter, and that's how I discovered coconut butter for the first time ;)
Where do you buy cocoa butter?
Hi Robin,
I use JK Gourmet’s cocoa butter the most as it's the most accessible one for me, but I'm not very picky. I've yet to buy bad tasting cocoa butter :). I get mine at a local health food shop (most of them carry it), but you can also order it online — they have a US and Canada website, but the cocoa butter only seems to be available online in Canada . There are also lots of cheaper options on Amazon (see here) . If I had to choose from there personally, I’d go with something like this , as it's the closest to what I use normally.
Ok, I must have done something wrong somewhere. It separated and won't mix anymore. Has anyone else had this happen?
-sooo, to not waste anything, I added powdered stevia, almond flour and at the very end carefully mixed in an egg. I topped it with walnuts and baked it in a greased pan at 325 for 15 minutes. I ended up with something similar to a blondie. Never give up!
Hi Christi,
That's odd. Sorry it didn't work out for you, but I'm so glad you were able to save the ingredients and make something delicious instead. :)
That's never happened to me before. Did you change anything in the ingredients at all? If not, only thing I can think of is I'm wondering if your cashew butter was cold? If so, that would make the cocoa butter harden up and it won't mix. {Sorry, I normally say things should be at room temp when working with coconut oil or cocoa butter because it hardens when cold, but forgot to add it in here. I added it in the recipe now}. Let me know if you think this was the problem or otherwise I'd love to hear what ingredients you used.
Thanks so much, and I hope you give this another try sometime :) #nevergiveup!
What in the world?! I must taste this unbelievable treat. So pin it I will.
Thanks Julia :)
What a gorgeous recipe, Audrey! I love that you were enjoying an abundance of raspberries so simply, but also that you created this bark in the end. :-)
Shirley
Thanks Shirley! It's certainly been great fun :)