This festive fudge is perfect for holiday entertaining.
It was inspired by my husband’s desire for a “healthy” candy cane. I don’t have the time or patience to break out the candy thermometer and boil sugar, so this was my compromise– an easy white chocolate fudge that tastes like a candy cane! He agreed that this was a much better idea.
Unlike other raw recipes, which typically call for coconut oil, I decided to try something new for my non-coconut-loving readers. This white chocolate is made using raw cacao butter, which is the pure, cold-pressed oil of the cacao bean. Cacao butter is an excellent source of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, and naturally melts at body temperature– making it slightly more stable at room temperature when compared to the melting point of coconut oil.
Paired with cashews, peppermint extract and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup, this fudge is sure to be a hit with all of your holiday guests!
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White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge (Raw & Vegan)
makes about 18 pieces
Adapted from Fork & Beans
Ingredients:
1 cup melted raw cacao butter (about 8 oz.)
1 cup raw cashews
2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Goji berries (optional, for decor)
Directions:
Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and gently melt the cacao butter in a double boiler over the stove, until all of the solids have dissolved.
While the cacao butter is melting, blend the raw cashews in a blender until they are finely ground. (It’s okay if it starts to turn into cashew butter!) Add in the pepper mint extract and maple syrup, and blend again until the mixture is very smooth. Once the cacao butter is completely melted, add one cup to the cashew mixture and blend again until completely smooth.
Pour the white chocolate mixture into the loaf pan, and smooth the top with a spatula. For a “peppermint candy” look, sprinkle with Goji berries that have been pulsed in a blender or food processor. (I threw mine in the Vitamix for less than 30 seconds.) You’ll notice that the mixture is more of an off-white/light tan color when it’s melted, but it will lighten up once it has set. It still won’t be perfectly white, as is the nature of using all-natural ingredients, but the result is still pretty!
Place the pan in the freezer to set for 6 hours, or until very firm. Use a sharp knife to cut and serve the fudge chilled.
This fudge should remain solid at room temperature, but it will get significantly softer, so I recommend storing it in the freezer until ready to serve.
White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge (Raw & Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 cup melted cacao butter (about 8 oz.)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons Goji berries (optional, for decor)
Instructions
- Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and gently melt the cacao butter in a double boiler over the stove, until all of the solids have dissolved.
- While the cacao butter is melting, blend the raw cashews in a blender until they are finely ground. (It's okay if it starts to turn into cashew butter!) Add in the pepper mint extract and maple syrup, and blend again until the mixture is very smooth. Once the cacao butter is completely melted, add one cup to the cashew mixture and blend again until completely smooth.
- Pour the white chocolate mixture into the loaf pan, and smooth the top with a spatula. For a "peppermint candy" look, sprinkle with Goji berries that have been pulsed in a blender or food processor. (I threw mine in the Vitamix for less than 30 seconds.) You'll notice that the mixture is more of an off-white/light tan color when it's melted, but it will lighten up once it has set. It still won't be perfectly white, as is the nature of using all-natural ingredients, but the result is still pretty!
- Place the pan in the freezer to set for 6 hours, or until very firm. Use a sharp knife to cut and serve the fudge chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories per serving: 154, Fat: 15g, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 2g
Notes:
- If you don’t want to work with raw cacao butter, I assume coconut oil would produce a similar result.
- I also assume any other sweetener would work (even stevia!), but you’ll have to experiment with the amounts, as all sweeteners will lend a different taste when compared to maple syrup.
- Please share any substitutions you try in the comment section below!
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: Are you a fan of peppermint-flavored treats? I’ve actually never liked traditional candy canes, but I used to love those pastel after-dinner mints!
I love this kind of fudge, since I can not get cacao butter very often a replace it with coconut oil and it is even more delicious,
Also I have tried similar fudge with dates and it works perfect:-)
Is there anything I can substitute for the cashews? This looks great but I don’t do well with nuts
Dried coconut or seeds might work, but the flavor will be different. Let us know if you have any success experimenting!
This looks delicious! I LOVE fudge but the conventional kinda always has way too much sugar and dairy, I can’t wait to try this.
wondering if I can sub walnuts for cashews? Have you ever tried using walnuts in this type of recipe?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I bet it would be tasty! Walnuts are slightly more bitter than cashews, so you might need to adjust the other ingredients to compensate.
Yum! Thank you for this recipe! I’ve enjoyed peppermint bark in the past, & I appreciate this alternative that seems even more decadent but is healthier at the same time – pure win!! Also, do you think half a cup of cashew butter is a good replacement, or would that be too oily or need further adjustments to the recipe? Thank you ever so much!
Yes, a 1/2 cup of cashew butter should equal 1 cup of raw cashews in most recipes. I’d look for raw cashew butter, to keep the flavor the same.
Oh No!!!! I just ate all the raw vegan turtles from the recipe you just posted. Now you leave me no choice but to try these too…. 🙂
love! these remind of us our peppermint macaroons that we made with goji berries…yum
i make all my chocolates/fudges using cacao butter. i love it!! it is so rich and creamy. the goji berries add such a nice and festive pop of color. very cute!
Great recipe, it’s a must try!
do you suggest soaking cashews or should i not?
Soaking nuts will typically make them easier to digest, but I’m not sure if wet nuts would work well in this recipe. I’ve found that working with wet cashews makes the resulting treat gooey and less-firm. So, if you want to soak them for better digestion, I’d recommend completely drying them before using them in this recipe.
thank you Megan!! now i feel confident to go forward and make this dream treat…
Hope you enjoy it!
I just found this blog and I am so excited! Can’t wait to try some of your recipes!
I’m not a big fan of candy cane but I do like the soft peppermint candy I think my family and I would like this I have never bought cocoa butter would you get that at a health food store
Mmm…these are making me hungry! Can’t wait to try them out! I don’t know if I can wait for the raw cacao butter to arrive, so can I try using good ol’ coconut oil also?
Yes, I think that will work!
Perfect timing! My son asks for white chocolate several times a day! I have to buy cacao butter and try this! Thanks.
Thanks! Pinned and will make for sure. I just went grain free!
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR MAKING A SWEET WITHOUT COCONUT!!!! It seems like almost every sweet out there has almonds or coconut, neither of which I can tolerate at all, so this is a wonderful! I also just happened to be reminiscing about peppermint bark…:)
can i use honey instead of maple syrup?
This was soo yummy! I bought cacao butter but wasnt quite enough so subbed the rest with coconut oil but followed everything else. My 19 month old and husband are all huge fans, we have devoured it! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
This is a fabulous recipe Megan! It’s so lovely and how creative to use goji berries instead of candy canes:) I love that!
This was amazing!!! It’s a good basic recipe too for many different flavors. Thank you soooo much!
I haven’t tried any recipes yet as I’ll have to do when no one else is at home but I’m looking forward to trying them. I’m sure you’ve covered this before but I missed, I’m allergic to nuts (especially the really oily ones), so I’ll need to know what to substitute for them.
Also, regarding you eliminating foods, if I were you I’d try eliminating some of the avocado’s. I really like them but have to eat on rare occasion or very small portions because it makes the inside of my mouth itch, but I thought it seems like you eat a whole lot of them so maybe they’re rough on the little ones tummy. Just a thought!
Thanks for sharing!
I wasn’t sure where to post this-sorry-I am new to this healthy eating and I am loving it! Thank you so much for this site. Especially at this time of year with all the holiday meals I am really missing a great buttered roll but am not eating grains. Unless I missed it, I haven’t seen many “bready” recipes. Do you have any great “roll” recipes? thanks
Thanks for this recipe, it was wonderful! I followed it exactly as written and my family just loved it. So nice to have a healthy fudge with minimal ingredients.
Was I suppose to buy a special kind of cacao butter? Cause it did NOT come out light tan/white… I even doubled the rest of the recipe. I told my friends/family white chocolate and it might as well be black. Though still tasty. So that’s good. I used crushed organic candycanes instead of goji berries.
As far as I know, all brands of pure cacao butter should be pale-yellow in color, so I’m not sure what would make it so dark. Glad it tasted good, regardless!
Is there macros on this recipe?
Would it work to use a mix of NuStevia and Truvia in place of the maple syrup?
Has anyone used rice malt syrup instead of maple? If so, did you still use 3/4 cup or a different amount?
I am not a fan of the candy cane taste, do you think this recipe would be good with vanilla extract instead of peppermint and some chunks of macadamia nuts??
Wow…someone posted this in a group for SCD and I just put some in my freezer. It’s absolutely incredible before freezing so I can’t wait to see what it’s like later today! Thanks for a fabulous recipe with great ingredients!
Oh and I used honey instead…tastes great!
I made these a couple of years ago – using macadamia nuts instead of cashews and reducing the maple syrup to 1/2 cup (I used the called for 3/4 cup the first batch but found 1/2 to taste the same so I stuck with that). It was fantastic! Probably my favorite dessert I’d ever had. I’ve since adopted a ketogenic diet and I wondered if I could modify it, without relying on zero carb sweeteners (I don’t like them). I only had vanilla around, no peppermint. I used macadamia nut butter, cocoa butter, pink salt and vanilla and they turned out beautifully. Some 100% cocoa shavings on top made it extra special! I’m confident I’d enjoy the peppermint even more.