Friday, October 3, 2014

Raspberry-Cashew Cream Cheese Pinwheels in a Coconut Oil Crust

my head hurts and everything smells like berries...
Raspberry-Cashew Cream Cheese Pinwheels
in a Coconut Oil Crust.
worth it.

Did you ever have one one of those delayed hangover mornings where you don't realize the full extent of your hungover-ness until you undertake a way too massive baking project? C'mon, anyone? This is not a situation I find myself in too frequently as of late; sadly (?) my reckless "party like a rock star all night then bake vegan treats all morning" days are waning. But the weekend will ALWAYS call for baked goods and in that two day span I will, on occasion, go a little to hard at the brown liquor. And yeah, on some mornings those two things can create slightly unpleasant overlap. Last Saturday was a full day and night of social consumption but I jumped out of bed the next morning bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and almost annoyingly pumped to make use of my handpicked raspberry haul from the previous week. I had battled many a bee for those perfect little berries and they were destined for greatness. So tea was made and dough was cranked out like nobody's business. Then the fatigue set in. My eyeballs started to feel dry and the thought of continuing to move my body in any way at all became massively unappealing. But I was already in too deep, raspberry pinwheels were the chosen course of action for the morning and there was no turning back. The rest was a blur of whirring food processor blades, berry-stained fingers and uncontrollable sweating, but at the end there they were.
All pink and swirly, and totally worth it.
This is life in the fast lane, my friends.
It's not for everyone, but for those that can handle it...
Party like an aging rock star, make raspberry pinwheels, rest, repeat as necessary.
Or sub out the whole party thing and just make the damn pinwheels.
Your head will hurt way less and there are still delicious baked goods at the end.



do what the sign says.

seasonal rituals: u-pick at sunshine farm in sherborn, ma.







everything should always be this color.


Coconut Oil Raspberry-Cashew Cream Cheese Pinwheels
(makes 12)

Coconut oil crust:
2c unbleached all purpose flour
1/3c unrefined coconut oil, chilled enough to be solid
1/2c chilled water
1/2tsp sea salt

Raspberry-Cashew Filling:
1/2c raw cashews, soaked for 2-3 hours and drained
1/4c fresh raspberries (can also use frozen)
2Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1Tbsp coconut oil
1/2tsp sea salt
2Tbsp agave or maple syrup

Garnish:
 handful of addidional raspberries
1-2Tbsp extra coconut oil 
1Tbsp raw cane sugar

sunday dough projects.

pinwheel progress.



To make the crust:
Combine flour and cononut oil in the bowl of a food processor. 
Pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 30 seconds.
Gradually add water until dough begins to come together, 
it will still be crumb-y but should hold together when you try to form a ball. 
If it is too dry add water, a teaspoon at a time.
Turn dough out onto a piece of parchment and use your hands to form it into a ball.
Set aside.

To make the filling:
Wipe out the food processor and add drained cashews, raspberries, 
lemon juice, sweetener, coconut oil and sea salt.
Process until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes, 
stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

Assembling the pastry:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place your pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin
to flatten it into a rectangle about 1/4" thick.
Use your hands to straighten out any rough edges.
Cut rolled out dough into 12 equal sized squares.
Make four slices in each square, starting from each corner 
and stopping 1/2" from the center. 
Place a small scoop of filling, about 1Tbsp in the center of each piece of cut pastry.
Fold every other cut corner in towards the center and press down gently to seal.
Sounds confusing, I know. This video tutorial will help.
Brush each folded pastry with melted coconut oil, dust with cane sugar, 
and garnish with a fresh raspberry or two.
Bake for 18-24 minutes, until pastry is ever so slightly browned.
Allow to cool and store any extras in the refrigerator for up to a week.

time to rest.

3 comments:

  1. Congrats! I've nominated you for a Liebster award. You can find out all about it at http://atravellingcook.blogspot.de/2014/10/food-for-thought-and-liebster-award-2104.html

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  2. such beautiful pinwheels and amazing raspberries - I'm glad you fought the hangover to make them :) Love the coconut oil crust, I've been mostly using olive oil but look forward to trying this recipe soon.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! It was a struggle but glad I soldiered on. ;) I love a good olive oil crust but have been kind of obsessed with coconut oil these days, such a delightfully rich flavor. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

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