Avocado, Not just for guacamole anymore!

Avocado Fudge?

Yes please!

I am sure that, if you are anything like me, when you hear fudge, Healthy is not a word that comes to mind.  Most of the time, I think I get a sugar headache just from looking at fudge!  I do not eat a lot of sweets anymore, but once in a while you just need to keep it real!  Yes, I still have my favorites that I splurge on from time to time, but keeping it in moderation is key.  

SO, back to this fudge...  A few months ago, I was cruising the internet, trying to find a few new recipes to try.  I had about 4 avocado's sitting in my kitchen that I needed to use up before they were too ripe.  When I first came across this fudge recipe, I will admit, I was skeptical.  Chocolate and Avocado Fudge?  Together?  Admit it, when you read those avocado and fudge together, you thought it was a typo.  Would someone really mix THOSE two things together?  Not really sure about that combination myself, but I like both, so why not give it a try.  Worst case scenario?  I have a 16 year old that will eat just about anything! 

I originally found the recipe at Activeware.com and I have made it twice now, trying out different brands of chocolate each time.  Other than that, I have kept with the original recipe, but I am sure that over time I will tweak it a bit and make it my own!  Best thing?  ok, there are many awesome things about this recipe, but the fact that it only has 4 ingredients is a huge plus in my book!

The creaminess of the avocado blends perfectly with the chocolate to create the perfect balance of sweetness.  Several people that I have tried it did not believe me that there really was avocado in it!

Ingredients:
*2 very ripe avocado's (only 1 if you are not frosting your fudge)
*9oz dark chocolate
*1 Tablespoon coconut oil
*1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions:
Line an 8x8 or comparable size pan with parchment paper (or plastic wrap), leaving plenty hanging over the sides (this will come in handy later!)

Slice one of the avocado's in half, scoop out the insides from each half into a food processor.  Process the avocado until it's smooth, about 30 seconds or so.  If you don't have a food processor, you can do this part by hand, it just takes longer (or you can just have small chucks of avocado in your fudge - yes I have done this before! It still tastes great)

Scrape the avocado into a double boiler and add the chocolate and coconut oil and set this aside. Put water in the lower pan of your double boiler and bring to a simmer.  Once the water reaches a simmer, put the top pan on and get ready to see it all come together!

Stir the ingredients together until everything melts and is smooth (about 5 minutes).  Once everything is completely melted, continue stirring for another 5 minutes while everything starts to thicken.

Once the mixture starts to thicken, add the vanilla, stir and scrape everything into your prepared pan.

Chill in fridge for a few hours (or until firm enough to eat - you won't want to wait 3 hours for this!).

Once your fudge is firmed up and set, pull it out of the pan using the excess parchment that you left hanging over the edges.  Cut into desired pieces and enjoy!  This last time I made it, I added a bit of coarse sea salt to the fudge before serving.  

Frosting: (optional)
cut the 2nd avocado in half, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash to your desired consistency.  

I will admit that I have never actually frosted this fudge.  Maybe one of these days I might actually do that, but so far I have just been enjoying the smooth creamy sweetness of these squares of pure heaven!

Enjoy! But beware... a batch of this disappears faster than something in a David Copperfield show!