These vegan vanilla buttercream chocolates are delightfully rich. A crisp chocolate coating gives way to a fluffy, almost whipped vegan buttercream filling made from a combination of raw cashews, almond milk, coconut butter, pure maple syrup, coconut flour, vanilla, and sea salt. Feel free to dress these vegan buttercreams up with a sprinkle of crushed freeze-dried raspberries or fancy sea salt, or keep things simple with a bare chocolate coating. Your pick!
Of all the chocolates in a box full of chocolates, the buttercream variety were always my favorite. Preferably milk chocolate coated, but I’d happily reach for those dressed in a semi-sweet ensemble on occasion, too.
These vegan vanilla buttercream chocolates are a riff on those classic buttercream candies.
A crisp chocolate coating gives way to a fluffy vanilla buttercream filling. To make these beauties photo-shoot ready, I sprinkled them with crushed freeze-dried raspberries. Feel free to do the same if you’re up for decorating, or keep things simple with a pure and beautifully bare chocolate coating.
To make these treats, you’ll start by preparing the filling. It’s a subtle twist on the buttercream frosting from this cookie recipe with the only difference being that there’s a bit more coconut butter in this variation (to help thicken, firm, and set it).
Add raw cashews and almond milk to a high-speed blender, and blend until you have a super thick and very smooth cream.
Then, add melted coconut butter, pure maple syrup, coconut flour (naturally thickens), vanilla, and sea salt. Give it all another blend until smooth.
Then, transfer the filling, which will be quite soft and runny, to a shallow bowl, and chill it in the freezer for 2 hours, or until it sets into a scoop-able texture. For the first hour, you’ll want to whisk the filling every 15 minutes or so to help create a fluffy, almost whipped texture.
Once the filling is thick enough to be scooped, use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to scoop out rounded mounds, and drop onto a lined baking pan (they should look like little scoops of vanilla ice cream—see photo below).
Transfer the pan to the freezer for about 20 minutes to chill and firm the rounded little mounds of filling.
Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate coating.
In a bain marie or double boiler, melt chopped dark chocolate or vegan chocolate chips with a bit of virgin coconut oil (to thin) until smooth and glossy.
Then, one at a time, dip each mound of filling into the chocolate and use a spoon to evenly coat. Return each to the lined pan and sprinkle with toppings, if desired. Crushed freeze-dried raspberries, fancy sea salt, and vegan sprinkles all work great.
Repeat until each and every mound of buttercream is coated. Then, return the pan to the freezer for a brief 10 minutes to set the chocolate.
These vegan vanilla buttercream chocolates can be frozen for up to one month or refrigerated for up to 1 week.
That being said, their texture is best when refrigerated so if you opt for the freezer, be sure to pull them out about 15 to 20 minutes before serving to let them thaw/soften a bit.
These vegan vanilla buttercream chocolates are delightfully rich. A crisp chocolate coating gives way to a fluffy, almost whipped vegan buttercream filling made from a combination of raw cashews, almond milk, coconut butter, pure maple syrup, coconut flour, vanilla, and sea salt. Feel free to dress these vegan buttercreams up with a sprinkle of crushed freeze-dried raspberries of fancy sea salt, or keep things simple with a bare chocolate coating.
Use a cookie scoop*** (or small ice cream scoop) to scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoon mounds of buttercream. Drop on the lined tray. You should have approximately 18 mounds, and they should resemble small scoops of vanilla ice cream. Freeze for 20 minutes to firm and set.
Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate coating. Whisk together the chocolate and coconut oil over low heat in a double-boiler or ban marie until melted, smooth, and glossy. Be careful not to overheat (or splash water into the mixture) or the chocolate will seize and take on a gritty texture.
One at a time, use a fork to lower the buttercream balls into the chocolate and use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over top and evenly coat. Shake off any excess chocolate, return to the lined tray, and sprinkle with toppings, if desired.
Return the tray to the freezer and chill for 10 minutes, or until the chocolate sets.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you freeze these, be sure to pull them out about 15 to 20 minutes before serving to allow them to thaw and soften.
***I really, really, really recommend using a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop for this step. If you try to use a spoon, it will be very difficult (and frustrating) to create evenly shaped mounds.
Yummy, I may go broke making these but it will be well worth it. The photography is amazing! Thank you for sharing this desert!
Thanks for the kind words, Jeff! And just be sure to use homemade coconut butter, and they should easily cost you under $10 to make. Store-bought coconut butter, on the other hand, will skyrocket the price.
Yes I looked researched a coconut butter recipe, just have to get the coconut flakes, and some coconut flour for the recipe. I make my own almond and cashew milk already, I just like to know what is in my products… Thank you for your response!
Hi! Do you have a recipe for coconut butter?
Hi, Norma! Just add a bag of unsweetened shredded coconut (about 3–4 cups) to a food processor and process for 6–8 minutes, or until smooth and liquidy. Just be very careful about the coconut you choose—you want to avoid desiccated coconut, because it’s very dry and will not turn into coconut butter. Enjoy!
Once again I had the privilege of tasting these special treats! I can attest to the satisfying flavor and richness….one was certainly enough to please my sweet tooth! I got to share the leftovers with friends too. They held up well refrigerated till the end of the week….they might have lasted longer I just didn’t give them that chance. Thanks again for a wonderful treat!
Thankk you for your magical and utterly delicious contribution to my Fairy Tea Party Round up.