Puff Pastry with Vanilla Cashew Cream

Last week I hosted another one of my periodic group lunches at work.  This was the first one since session ended, so I really wanted it to go well.  Unfortuantely, Papa John's messed up the pizza order and I ended up completely stressed out and pretty much unable to enjoy the actual lunch.  But even if the pizza wasn't executed perfectly, the dessert I brought seemed to be a big hit.  Well, it all disappeared at least.  I had to really elbow my way in just to grab a couple for myself!

 

I remembered reading a while back that Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Cups were "accidentally vegan", so I decided that instead of baking something from scratch, I'd use them as a nice shortcut to make a cool summer treat - puff pastry filled with vanilla cashew cream and topped with raspberries and powdered sugar. 

 

I was a bit concerned that the puff pastry would get soggy if I made the dessert at home ahead of time, so I brought everything separate and assembled it at work.  I used a squeaze bottle with a frosting tip to fill the pastry cups, added the raspberries, then tried my best to sprinkle the powdered sugar on artfully with my fingers.  (It would have been a lot easier with a sifter, but I didn't bring one into work - too much hassle.)  I'm not sure the one single raspberry sticking out of the center of the cup looked all that great, but they sure tasted wonderful!

 

The vanilla cashew cream was definitely the best part of these little gems - and I'm not just saying that because it's the only part I actually made myself.  I ate the leftovers by squeazing a bit directly into fresh raspberries - it was all I could do not to just squeaze it directly into my mouth!  Yum yum yum.  Plus it's so easy I know I'll be using this again and again for a delicious fruit dip, in tarts, or maybe just to eat by itself with a spoon! 

 

Vanilla Cashew Cream

 

1/2 cup cashews

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon imitation vanilla extract (I used imitation because it is clear and would keep my cream whiter)

1/4 cup plain almond milk

 

Blend together and enjoy!