RAW STRAWBERRY CREAM COOKIES

MAKES 20

You’ll need to start this recipe a day ahead.

1 cup (140g) raw macadamias ¾ cup (90g) pecans ¾ cup (65g) desiccated coconut 1/3 cup (70g) coconut oil, melted 1 tablespoon raw honey ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

STRAWBERRY CREAM

1 cup (150g) raw cashews 250g strawberries ½ cup (100g) coconut oil, melted ¼ cup (90g) raw honey 1 tablespoon freeze-dried strawberry powder (optional) (see cook’s notes)

CHOCOLATE COATING

¼ cup (50g) coconut oil ¾ cup (180g) cacao butter, chopped finely 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup (100g) cacao powder

1 Place cashews for strawberry cream in a small bowl; cover with cold water. Stand, covered, for 4 hours or overnight. Drain cashews; rinse under cold water, drain well.

2 Make strawberry cream.

3 Grease a 20cm x 30cm slice pan; line with plastic wrap, extending plastic 5cm over sides. 4 Process macadamias, pecans, desiccated coconut, coconut oil, honey and vanilla until mixture resembles coarse crumbs and holds together when pressed; be careful not to over-process. Press nut mixture firmly and evenly over base of pan using a spatula. Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.

5 Lift cookie base from pan; place on a chopping board. Cut base into 20 rounds using a 5cm cutter, pushing scraps together as necessary. Place rounds on a tray lined with baking paper.

6 Spoon strawberry cream into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain tube; pipe 5cm rounds on top of the cookies, creating small peaks. Return cookies to freezer while you prepare chocolate coating.

7 Make chocolate coating.

8 Using a fork, lower cookies, one at a time, into chocolate coating. Spoon chocolate over; allow excess chocolate to drain off. Place cookies on tray; freeze for 10 minutes or until chocolate is set. Repeat process to coat cookies twice in chocolate coating, if necessary. If chocolate thickens too much, reheat briefly. Return cookies to freezer for 10 minutes or until set. Trim off any excess chocolate.

STRAWBERRY CREAM

Blend drained cashews with remaining ingredients until as smooth as possible, using a high-powered blender, if available; this type of blender will achieve a very smooth consistency. Pour into a medium bowl; freeze for 1¼ hours or until very thick. Whisk vigorously until smooth.

CHOCOLATE COATING

Place coconut oil and cacao butter in a large heatproof bowl over a medium heatproof bowl of boiling water; whisk until combined and smooth. Whisk in maple syrup and vanilla; remove from heat. Whisk in cacao powder until combined and smooth.