What should you get your mother for Mother’s Day? Chocolate. How do you make chocolate health? Throw some avocado in it.
Ok so that’s not exactly how we came up with this recipe, but these chocolate avocado treats are amazing and the perfect dessert for your Mother’s Day gathering! Avocado is versatile – put it in smoothies, dips, creams, etc. for a creamy consistency, without the avocado flavor. These chocolate treats are just that, super creamy (almost fudge-like) with zero avocado flavor.
Nutritionally, avocados are loaded with some great stuff. Lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and even a big dose of fiber (all GREAT things!). Yes, avocados have fat. However, the body responds very differently to the fat in avocados than the fat in animal products. The fat in avocados (monounsaturated fat – often termed the “healthy fat”) has been shown to decrease inflammation while the fat in animal products increases inflammation.
When choosing your avocados you’ll want to think about when you’re planning to use them. If you want to use it that day – choose one that is dark and slightly soft. If you pick out more green and firm avocados, they won’t be ready to use for a few days. Warning: Non-ripe avocados are hard to work with, not as creamy and lack flavor. Over-ripe avocados are brown and taste spoiled.
I like to leave a few small avocado chunks because their bright green color makes these more interesting to bite into. If you want to be more covert about the avocado, be sure to thoroughly mash the avocado.
Plant-Based Chocolate Avocado Treats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 3 T cacao powder
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Places dates and hot water in a food processor and let soak for 10 minutes.
- Process dates until smooth. Add almond milk and cacao and process until combined.
- Place avocado flesh in a medium bowl and use a fork to mash until no large chunks remain.
- Add date mixture to mashed avocados and stir until combined. Stir in nuts, if using.
- Place mixture into muffin tins lined with paper muffin cups. If desired, garnish or ground nuts, cacao nibs or coconut flakes.
- Place in the freezer for 2 hours. Serve cold.
