Healthy Fudge

For those of you who know me well, this is one of my all-time favorite dessert recipes...and it's super healthy! I love having this frozen fudge in my freezer as a great alternative to ice cream or packaged desserts, and even my discerning husband is a fan. I got the recipe from Dr. Ben Kim's website, which I'm a huge fan of, and I've tested it with clients and seminar participants with great success. It's high in healthy fats and uses natural sweeteners instead of high fructose corn syrup, like what can be found in many packaged desserts. Don't be afraid to use a little unrefined coconut oil; studies show that it's actually heart healthy and really great for your skin.

You can get really creative with this recipe. I added shredded coconut, almonds, and walnuts, but you can do dried fruits, other types of nuts (like macadamias), or even pretzels (Greg's idea). The resultant fudge is very dense and delicious. It only takes a small piece (try 1/4 - 1/2 of a "muffin" if made in a muffin tin) to satisfy a sweet tooth. Feel good that you're eating something that's both delicious AND healthy!

Healthy Raw Fudge

Ingredients

2 cups raw almond butter (only $4.99 at Trader Joe's)

1/4 cup raw cocoa powder, sifted to remove lumps (I didn't have raw powder when I made it this time, but I did have cocoa/maca powder and it works well)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons liquid honey (I used honey and agave syrup because I ran out of honey)

1 heaping tablespoons unrefined, raw coconut oil, melted (optional)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Optional:

Nuts

Shredded unsweetened coconut

Dried fruit

Pretzel pieces (try spelt or whole wheat)

Instructions

Here are (most of) the ingredients, all lined up:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until smooth. Here are some of the steps, broken down a little bit. First, the almond butter (2 cups is basically the whole jar):

Next, the cocoa:

And the vanilla (I hardly have to measure for this recipe anymore, but you might want to grab a measuring spoon):

Here is what it looks like all stirred up:

You can stop here, or if you're like me, you like to add extra goodies. Here's the shredded unsweetened coconut:

Almonds and walnuts (basically leftovers I had in my cupboard that add texture):

Here it is, all stirred together:

Now, spoon the batter into square or circular muffin tins and pop the tin in the freezer. You can also put it in a glass or metal casserole dish, but I like the tins because it makes it easier to pop out fudge pieces and serve.

Make sure to keep this fudge frozen, or it will revert back to its more liquid, batter-like state. Use a sharp knife to cut the frozen pieces, and you have an instant healthy, delicious dessert that serves 24-48 (depending on the size of the pieces) for about $12 in supplies. That's $0.25- $0.50 per serving...far cheaper than Cold Stone! Enjoy slowly and mindfully, paying close attention to each bite.

*M*