Strawberries and Cream Freezer Fudge: A vegan, super-chill, summer dessert

Strawberry season is synonymous with ‘summer is here!’ What better way to use up those red beacons of sunny weather than turning them into a treat to keep on hand all season? This recipe for Strawberries and Cream Freezer Fudge from Joy McCarthy’s The Joyous Cookbook certainly does just that. This vegan dessert is designed to literally chill until you’re ready to enjoy it — for as long as three months! But we’re willing to bet it’s not going to last nearly that long. 

Strawberries and Cream Freezer Fudge

By Joy McCarthy

This no-bake, no-fuss dessert is dairy-free, yet it’s creamy and oh so good! If you’ve never used tahini in something sweet before, you’re in for a real treat. It has a mild nutty flavour, and it’s creamy and rich. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, this is a healthy dessert staple for summer barbecues — assuming you have a freezer nearby, because this needs to be kept in the freezer until about 15 minutes before serving.

Coconut butter can be found in the natural foods section of your grocery store or the health food store. It’s different from coconut oil, in that it’s made from ground coconut flesh and includes the fibre and fat.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• 4 tbsp coconut butter, divided
• 3 cups fresh or thawed frozen strawberries
• ½ cup tahini
• ¼ cup real maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

Preparation

Line the bottom and sides of an 8½ × 4½ inch (1.5 L) loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a small pot, combine the coconut oil and 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of the coconut butter. Heat over low heat until the coconut butter just softens. Be careful not to burn the coconut butter.

Transfer the coconut mixture to a high-speed blender or food processor. Add the strawberries, tahini, maple syrup and vanilla.

Pulse until smooth. Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.

In the same saucepan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 mL) coconut butter over low heat. Drizzle the melted coconut butter over the berry mixture. Evenly sprinkle the coconut flakes on top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 5 hours or overnight.

Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. Store in a resealable plastic freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Yield: Makes 8 squares

Excerpted from The Joyous Cookbook by Joy McCarthy. Copyright © 2019 by Joy McCarthy. Published by Penguin an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.