Freezer Fudge with Macadamia Nuts

This irresistible fudge is made with natural, real food ingredients. This recipe is vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and totally delicious. 

The holidays are here and that means treats galore! I have always loved making sweet treats and there is nothing quite like making a batch of cookies or fudge to get me into the holiday spirit. With holiday music playing on the kitchen Sonos, chocolate on my girls’ noses, and a fun recipe being prepared, I am in my happy place.

Homemade fudge is such a holiday classic, isn’t it? It’s one of those treats that I love to have a little nibble of, but much more than that and I know I’ll feel terrible. Fudge is traditionally made with heaps of white sugar, butter, and either milk, cream, or condensed milk. This healthier fudge recipe, though, doesn’t have any of that. This fudge is made with natural ingredients like cashew butter, cacao, and maple syrup.

The idea for this cashew based fudge recipe came from one of my trips to Whole Foods, where I perused the aisles for inspiration and new foods to try. In the freezer section were these cute little boxes from a brand called Kima that read “CASHEW FUDGE pure plant bites.” Obviously I had to try this. It looks like you can order the fudge bites online, but recreating them at home was quick and easy with just a few ingredients I already had. Mix the ingredients up in a bowl, smooth it into a dish or loaf pan lined with parchment and freeze. Add a sprinkle of sea salt or cacao powder for even more flavor.

Macadamia nut chocolate has been my favorite ever since I first tried chocolate covered macadamia nuts as a child in Hawaii. You can play around with the fudge flavors though, adding any nuts you like. This easy recipe is considered a freezer fudge. At room temperature it will become very soft and messy, so it’s best kept in the refrigerator until just before serving or eating. With a batch of these little fudge bites in the freezer, there is always a rich, chocolatey treat ready to naturally cure those chocolate cravings.

I’ve tested this recipe with both melted coconut oil and melted, well stirred coconut butter (also called coconut manna). I use the coconut manna linked below (Amazon affiliate link) and found it at our local natural foods store. Some people who try to eat whole foods prefer coconut butter to coconut oil because it is simply pureed coconut. Coconut oil creates a softer fudge that melts more quickly, while coconut butter creates a thicker fudge. Both are absolutely delicious!

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Yield: About 20 1-inch squares

Freezer Fudge with Macadamia Nuts

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

This freezer fudge is made with natural ingredients like cashew butter and maple syrup. Store in the freezer for whenever you crave a bite of chocolate.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil or coconut butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cacao powder
• 1/2 cup roasted macadamia nuts

Instructions

1. Line a 5x9 inch loaf pan with parchment paper
2. Start with all ingredients at room temperature. Add cashew butter, coconut sugar, maple syrup, coconut butter, vanilla, and cacao to a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir until smooth. Stir in the nuts.
3. Transfer the fudge mixture to the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Freeze until very firm, at least one hour. Cut into squares. Store fudge in the freezer, as it becomes very soft at room temperature.

Notes

Dust the top of the fudge with sea salt or cacao powder if desired. 
Using coconut oil will result in a softer fudge that melts more quickly than if using coconut butter.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 20mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g