Is it just me or does it feel like a small eternity since I last posted a chocolate recipe?
That’s what I thought.
Well, have I got a doozy for you! A delicious twist on traditional chocolate pudding that will rock your socks off (or something like that).
Today’s feature is a dairy free, egg free, creamy delight that is chock-full of health building properties and can be assembled in about five minutes with the use of five simple ingredients.
A pretty good deal if you ask me.
Some Health Profiling –
The creamy texture of this recipe is largely attributable to the avocado. Not only does avocado taste delicious, it is also endowed with gorgeous, nutritive properties. An excellent source of heart healthy monounsaturated fat, avocado is also rich in lutein, a carotenoid that operates to help protect our eyes from disease. Other health supporters found in the avocado include: fibre, folate, vitamin K, vitamin E, and vitamin B5.
Now on to one of my favourite subjects, you guessed it, chocolate!
First a little background…
Ever wonder how chocolate is made? Here’s a quick snapshot:
Chocolate is made from the seed of the cacao tree.
Cacao pods are harvested from the cacao tree and their seeds (known as cacao beans/cocoa beans) are left to ferment for several days to minimize bitterness. The seeds are then roasted – a process that further intensifies flavour, dries and darkens the seeds.
The outer shell (husk) of the seeds is removed revealing the inner kernel of the seed called cacao nibs(you may have come across these nibs before – they are sometimes sold with sweet flavoured coatings). The cacao nibs are then crushed and ground into a thick paste called chocolate liquor which is essentially a combination of cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
At this point, the chocolate liquor can be used to make cocoa solids (such as cocoa powder) or the sweet/semi-sweet commercial chocolate that we are familiar with.
To make cocoa powder, the chocolate liquor is compressed to remove a significant portion of the cocoa butter that is naturally found in the cacao nibs. What remains is a dry mass (cocoa solid) that is ground into a powder.
For commercial chocolate, cocoa butter from the chocolate liquor is retained along with the cocoa solids but manufacturers will also add things like sugar, milk, or condensed milk (more sugar and fat), and soy lecithin for texture and taste. The amount of additives relative to the percentage of cocoa content in a commercial chocolate will determine whether it is classified as milk chocolate or dark chocolate or something else (white chocolate, for instance, contains no cocoa solids).
The greater the percentage of cocoa (or cacao) retained in a particular chocolate product, the greater the potential health benefits. This is because the health benefits of chocolate revolve around the flavonoid activity found in the cocoa bean itself, not in the manufacturer’s additives.
So what about those Flavonoids?
Flavonoids are a group of chemical compounds naturally found in certain plant-based foods (green tea, red wine, berries, tree fruit, spices, nuts/beans) that operate as antioxidants, or disease fighters, in our bodies.
And when it comes to cocoa, there’s plenty of fight. In fact, food scientists at Cornell University found the antioxidant activity in cocoa to be nearly twice that of red wine and up to three times that found in green tea.
In terms of health protection, research suggests that flavonoids in cocoa help stimulate the production of nitric oxide in the body which can in turn help relax blood vessels, leading to lower blood pressure and improved heart health. Other studies have similarly linked the antioxidants in cocoa to reduced LDL cholesterol levels.
In addition to its antioxidant content, cocoa also contains a host of minerals including calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.
When buying commercial chocolate, choose a minimum 70% cocoa (or cacao) content in order to maximize these health benefits.
If you are new to dark chocolate, use a graduated approach that will allow you to slowly habituate to the new taste. Gently reduce milk chocolate in recipes while replacing the reduced portion with dark chocolate (3/4 milk chocolate and 1/4 dark chocolate at first and moving to half/half and so forth, over time).
In time, you will grow accustomed to the new taste and may well find it far more satiating and less addicting. A square or two of 75% cocoa chocolate in the evening will satisfy a craving without priming the pump the way milk chocolate does (that insatiable desire of wanting another sugar fix with the ensuing blood sugar roller coaster…).
-
1 + 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and flesh removed from pit
-
1/3 cup quality cocoa powder (100% raw cacao) unsweetened
-
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
-
1/4 cup coconut milk
-
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Makes approximately two half-cup servings or four quarter-cup servings.
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and press GO.
I just made this – pretty good. Very creamy and chocolatey. You’d never guess the avocado was there and didn’t taste the coconut either. There was, for me, something not quite right with the flavor. I think too much vanilla. I might try a tablespoon of Kaluha next time. In fact, I’ll probably play around with flavoring a ton … the base recipe is good. Not super sweet – but not not sweet. I’d add 1/2 tsp of stevia if you your family wants more sweetness. Thank you for the recipe!!!
you’re most welcome Karen and thank you for your feedback! The ultimate goal is to get readers to enjoy these recipes in a way that works best for them and their preferences so I’m all for experimentation :) enjoy and thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Hello Jamama, thank you for dropping by. You raise a good point. The calorie count is not insignificant and, depending on the size of avocado, type of coconut milk (light/full fat) – you could end up in the range of 400-450 calories per half-cup serving indeed. However, there are many examples of junk foods (desserts/cakes/cookies/even salads with creamy dressings) that run in this calorie range and more but the difference is, many of them are completely devoid of nutrients. While having an idea of calories is usually wise, I think we also have to be mindful of what those calories are comprised of in order to determine whether we are building health or undermining it. The other option is to offer up 4 quarter-cup servings – I should perhaps mention this in the post. Thank you kindly for your feedback; have a great day!
Sounds incredible but…Doing the math each serving is about 500 calories for 1/2 cup! Now that’s an indulgence!
What a terrific idea! I’m sure the texture is heavenly – I’ve definitely gotta try this one!!
I love all the health information you provide and as always, your simplicity and delicious flavors come together easily. Beautiful Kelly.
I’ve made a similar recipe, Kelly…I think you can also freeze this to make ‘ice cream’ the fat of the avocado allows it to stay super creamy. I adore the coconut milk to it…yum!
Very smart recipe. Once the avocados are in season I ll try it, for now I ll save it.
Enjoyed your post and all the knowledge that I gained about cocoa beans. That day I saw roasted cocoa beans in the shop. I never bought it because I have no idea what I have to look for when buying quality and I honestly don’t know hot to make chocolate of it.
Actually chocolate has great health benefits. If I tell that my friends they don’t believe me. Now I ll send them over to your post.
Wish you a nice weekend!
I came, I saw, I drooled! Hang on to my socks? I’m having trouble hanging on to my tongue! I looove dark chocolate. I love avocado. Gosh, I love everything about this!
What I’m wondering is… does it taste of avocado? Not that that would be a bad thing – I love the stuff – but I’m really curious. I’ve seen puddings and cakes with avocado before, but never dared try them!
You can’t taste the avocado at all, the chocolate is the overall taste. The avocado makes it creamy.
Looks super creamy and smooth!
It looks like a chocolate mousse! I love avocado (you will always find at least one in my kitchen, every single day of the year) and I love dark chocolate, but I would never think of pairing them together. I wonder if it’s not the most unusual recipe you have ever posted… but of course, as always a very appetising and tempting one. (Oh and there’s coconut milk I also love!). I will certainly try it soon because I seriously crave chocolate (wind, cold, rain…). Thank you for the lesson of nutrition and chocolate making!
It looks like a chocolate mousse! I love avocado (you will always find at least one in my kitchen, every single day of the year) and I love dark chocolate, but I would never think of pairing them together. I wonder if it’s not the most unusual recipe you have ever posted… but of course, as always a very appetising and tempting one. I will certainly try it soon because I seriously crave chocolate (wind, cold, rain…). Thank you for the lesson of nutrition and chocolate making!
It looks like a chocolate mousse! I love avocado (you will always find at least one in my kitchen, every single day of the year) and I love dark chocolate, but I would never think of pairing them together. I wonder if it’s not the most unusual recipe you have ever posted… but of course, as always a very appetising and tempting one. I will certainly try it soon because I seriously crave chocolate (wind, cold, rain…). Thank you for the lesson of nutrition!
Chocolate and avocado combination is really interesting! This summer I saw avocado ice cream and I was surprised. Seems like there are very interesting recipes out there that’s very creative! Very nice creamy pudding! Healthy snack and dessert!
I’ve seen so many chocolate avocado pairings this year. I have yet to try the combination, but have to admit that it sounds really good. I can only image how great the coconut milk tasted with them. Yummy!
Looks lush and luscious, and oh, I’m posting a similar thing tomorrow! But with fewer words of nutritional wisdom, I’m not so good at articulating that stuff. ;)
It’s hard to imagine the flavour of this dessert but the addition of the coconut must make it delicious. Fascinating facts about cocoa and the production of it. I love milk chocolate and must change to the darker for the health benefits.
I love avocado pudding but I’ve never tried it with coconut milk before … It’s genius :-)
As you may know, Brazilians enjoy avocados mainly in sweets, guacamole is a new trend but was unheard of while I was growing up. “Creme de abacate” is a classic dessert in Brazil, avocado is pureed, and sweetened. A squeeze of lemon juice, and nothing else. My Dad was addicted. Me, not so much, but I cannot stop eating guacamole until the bowl is clean (sigh)
loved this recipe, and you are right, you needed a chocolate fix for your readers! ;)
The use of avocado in desserts is growing and growing but I’m loving it :)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
love choc avocado pudding, I tried using a different recipe and the pudding texture was drier after 2 days in the fridge. do you have this problem?
i was recently introduced to raw cacao powder, that stuff is real superfood. just 1/2 teaspoon a day is enough to keep me energised the whole day.
I definitely have no problem with dark chocolate. In fact, the darker the chocolate the better! What a healthy chocolate pudding! I usually can’t put the healthy next to “pudding”, but it definitely works here. Love the use of the avocado to create the crumminess. Great recipe Kelly!
This looks great! I love chocolate too – and avocado! I can’t wait to give this a try. What a great way to indulge and add a little fiber to your day.
Super super fantastic – this is like the perfect combo. I love avocado in anything but the chocolate combo is great.
I’ve been meaning to try making avocado pudding…i’ve seen it going around the blog world. Love the addition of coconut milk. I find avocados to be so rich that I bet 1/2 cup serving is plenty. Delish! Hope you didn’t lose your socks ;)
Mmmmm! I tried making a chocolate-avocado pudding…or icing…before and it was HORRIBLE. But it looked nothing like this! I wonder what I did wrong!? I have to give this one a go, it looks so smooth and delicious, wish me luck!!
I love pudding and can’t believe this one works using avocado!! That’s an awesome recipe and perfect for a more healthy dessert. xx
Chocolate and avocado? I can see Miss A swooning now! This combines some of her favorite ingredients. It looks divine Kelly and you know I just adore those plates!
Great idea to use avocado to add creaminess and smoothness!