4Medjool dates soaked for 30 minutes and stones removed
1teaspoonvanilla bean paste
¾cupwatermay need slightly more depending on texture required
Instructions
Place cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak overnight* or for a minimum of 4 hours. If you’re soaking them overnight, cover and place in the fridge.
30 minutes before preparing the cream, add the dates to the cashews and soak for 30 minutes.
Drain the cashews and dates, rinse with fresh water and drain well.
Add the cashews, dates, vanilla bean paste and water to a high speed blender*. Blend, scraping down the sides as needed.Add water if needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Check the flavour, add more vanilla if required.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
Only use raw cashews; roasted cashews will produce a dark, more textured cream with a more pronounced nut flavour.To retain their freshness, I store my cashews in the freezer.Soaking the cashews overnight produces a creamier cashew cream.A blender is the best tool for making the cashew cream. You can use a food processor but it will produce a slightly less smooth cashew cream.