Coconut Butter Raw Frosting or Icing

If you're new to the raw diet, you might not know that many delicious mainstream desserts can be replicated in the raw style. And what can be better than your favorite raw dessert with a dollop of this silky icing? Our simple and decadent coconut butter icing makes a delicious addition to any sweet raw preparation and takes only 15 minutes to make. Coconut butter, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract receive a thorough mixing in a high-speed blender, but can also be fluffed out and mixed in a standing mixer or with a hand whisk. This luscious icing is great on raw cakes and cookies and can be used as a dip for fresh fruit pieces.

If you don't know what the raw approach to eating is, in short, it consists of a pattern of eating in which all foods consumed have never been heated above 118 F. In general, this means that all fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains, and some dehydrated items are included in the diet. Thus, eating this way is also strongly correlated with being plant-based, which itself is similar but not equal to being vegan in the sense that no animal products are consumed, but plant-based eaters do not consume processed foods while vegans do. Some raw eaters consume raw fish, eggs, and dairy, sometimes also beef, but the majority consume only raw plants. Many raw desserts are made by grinding nuts with dried fruits to make bases for pies and tarts, and then using other nuts and fruits to make a filling that can set in the fridge or freezer. The results are delicious desserts, creamy and sweet, that have nothing to envy in the dairy-full and cooked counterparts.

Though we've used orange as a flavor, you can easily omit it for a simpler vanilla version or substitute the orange with lemon or lime zest. Experiment with other flavors using mint, cherry, or almond extracts, or add cinnamon, cardamom, or allspice. The key to this icing is to use good quality coconut butter, which is different than coconut oil. Coconut oil is a hundred percent saturated fat, coming from cold-pressing coconut meat. The oil is used in cooking and baking, and has a mild coconut flavor. Coconut butter is the result of grinding the coconut meat and its oils, and it has a creamy consistency with a pronounced coconut flavor. Because coconut butter easily hardens when placed in the fridge, the icing needs to be brought down to room temperature before use.