I wasn't going to post a recipe this week, but this was too good not to share. I actually made this recipe last Christmas, and I totally forgot about it until this week when I went to make a batch for Santa's upcoming visit.
Coquito means "little coconut" in Spanish and is a traditional Christmas drink that originated in Puerto Rico. It is typically a rum-based drink that is similar to eggnog and sometimes referred to as Puerto Rican Eggnog. I really liked eggnog in my previous life, but this stuff is WAY BETTER. So, if you're not a fan of regular eggnog I highly recommend you try this instead. My version is dairy free, gluten free, egg free, soy free, and refined sugar free.
Let me know what you think!
Ingredients:
1 cans of full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup of maple syrup
3 cinnamon sticks
1 cup of raw cashews, soaked for at least 45 minutes in boiling water
2 cups of unsweetened, unflavored plant milk (or water)
1/4 cup of coconut sugar
1 tbsp. of vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Boil some water and soak your nuts.
Bring 2 cans of coconut milk to a boil in a deep pot over medium heat. Once boiling, whisk in the maple syrup and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the cinnamon sticks and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Drain and rinse the cashews and add to a high speed blender with the coconut cream, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt.
After 45 minutes, remove from heat. Remove the cinnamon sticks and discard. Carefully pour the sweetened condensed coconut milk into the blender with the other ingredients. Blend on high for 1 minute.
Transfer to a glass pitcher with a lid and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold with a pinch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg. If adding rum, you can either add it to each serving or add it before you refrigerate. I'll leave the rum quantity up to you!
Happy Holidays!