Adorable Easter Crescent Roll Carrots
It’s almost Easter friends and as some of you know, I’m a kid at heart, and plan to stay that way till my last breath. I still color easter eggs and this year my eggs are being colored with natural dyes from organic foods vs. boxed coloring. It takes much longer to do but hey, it’s all natural!
Each year I also plan some fun Easter-themed food and today I wanted to share an adorable way to use crescent rolls by filling them with a little vegan goodness. These Crescent Roll Carrots are filled with a unique vegan cheeseball that will not disappoint. I’ve tried these crescent rolls with a variety of types of non-vegan cheeseball filling or eggs & veggie sausage, and even hummus. This year I wanted to try a savory vegan version I found on Yup, It’s Vegan. It involves three of my favorite things – a little smokey, a little whiskey (yes, whiskey) and its vegan! Does it get better?
So let’s talk about how to make these Easter-themed crescent roll carrots.
Savory Vegan Cheeseball
To make the cheeseball, you need to start by soaking the cashews overnight or by using the fast method (place cashews in a pot, cover with water and boil for 10 minutes until soft). You will also want to soak your sun-dried tomatoes if using dried tomatoes. In this recipe I used sun dried tomatoes soaked in oil and simply rinsed under water before using.
Drain the cashews and rinse with cold water. Add the cashews, sun dried tomatoes, melted coconut oil, and all remaining ingredients (nutritional yeast, miso, whiskey, white vinegar, mustard, salt, paprika, turmeric & pepper) to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
Be sure to taste the mixture for any needed seasoning and add what you feel will make it perfect. Transfer mixture to a container and place in the refrigerator for an hour or so to let the ingredients blend together and for the mixture to set.
Crescent Roll Carrots
While the cheeseball is doing its thing, you’ll want to make the crescent roll carrots. First you want to heat the oven according to the package direction. Each brand is a little different so be sure to read those instructions. Start by rolling eight (8) 3-4” long sheets of foil into a cone-shaped mold (see image below). I like to spray the bottom portion with cooking spray to ensure the dough doesn’t stick to the foil after cooking.
Unroll the dough on a work surface. If using crescent rolls that have been perforated, be sure to press the seams (or use a rolling pin) to seal into solid rectangular piece of dough. Next use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough lengthwise into eight 1-inch strips.
Wrap each strip of dough around the foil molds starting from the bottom and working your way around the foil. This forms your carrot shape.
Bake crescent rolls according to package directions (about 8-12 minutes) and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before removing foil molds. Be sure to gently twist foil molds for an easier removal from dough.
Time to Put it all Together
Once the cashew cheese mixture is set, remove it from the fridge and spoon into a piping bag or sandwich bag and cut the tip large enough to pipe the thick mixture into the crescent roll carrots. The final step is to top with a few sprigs of parsley for the carrot top and serve!
Adorable right?
As mentioned, you can fill these cuties with your favorite filling but if you try this vegan cheeseball, be sure to tag @thesunshinehustle on Instagram.
Peace & Love and Happy Easter,
Nikki
Ingredients
1 package of crescent rolls (I prefer Annie’s Organic Crescent Rolls)
1 ½ cups raw cashews soaked overnight (or boiled for 10 minutes)
½ cup melted coconut oil
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp yellow or white miso
1 tbsp whiskey
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp mustard
½ tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground turmeric (optional as this is more to add a nice color to the mixture)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Other: Foil
Cheeseball Instructions
First you need to soak your cashews in water overnight, or place cashews in a pot, cover with water and boil for 10 minutes until soft.
If you’re using dried sun-dried tomatoes, be sure to soak them in water overnight or at least 30-60 minutes. Alternatively, you can use jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil.
Drain the cashews and sun-dried tomatoes and rinse well. Add both ingredients, along with melted coconut oil, and all remaining cheeseball ingredients into a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Taste the mixture for seasoning, and add more salt, or other ingredients as needed.
Transfer the mixture to a container and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour so mixture has time to set.
Crescent Roll Carrot Instructions
Heat the oven according to the package directions.
Roll eight 3-4” sheets of foil into a cone-shaped mold. Spry bottom of mold with cooking spray to ensure the dough doesn’t stick to the foil.
Unroll the dough on a work surface and press any seams in the dough to seal into a sold rectangular piece.
Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut dough lengthwise into eight 1-inch strips.
Wrap each strip of dough around the foil molds starting from the bottom and working your way around the foil to form your carrot shape.
Bake crescent rolls according to package directions (about 8-12 minutes) and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before removing foil molds. Be sure to gently twist foil molds for an easier removal from dough.
Assembly
Once the cashew cheese mixture is set, remove from the fridge and spoon into a piping bag or sandwich bag.
Cut the tip large enough to pipe the mixture into the crescent roll carrots.
Top with a few sprigs of parsley for the carrot top and serve!
NOTE: this cheeseball recipe makes enough to fill about 16 crescent roll carrots. If you have extra, use it as a standard cheeseball with crackers or bread.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Tag @thesunshinehustle on Instagram and hashtag #thesunshinehustle