Avocado Chocolate Dessert Recipes for the Holidays Elise Moreau - Green Living
go to original December 19, 2015

With the abundance and reasonable price of avocados in Vallarta-Nayarit, here's some recipes for healthy and gluten-free desserts for the holidays (or any other time).

Avocados are one of those foods that almost always make it onto every list of “superfoods” Known for its lovely green, fleshy meat that’s soft and spreadable like butter, this is one fruit that you’ll want to add to your diet for a good dose of healthy fat plus more than 20 different vitamins and minerals.

Amazingly, you don’t have to be an avid fan of guacamole to reap the health benefits of avocados. In fact, you don’t even have to like avocados at all.

With the right recipes, you can mask the flavor of avocados by turning it into a seriously decadent dessert — especially when chocolate is involved! If you offered a chocolate avocado dessert to someone without telling them it was made with avocado, they probably wouldn’t even be able to guess. Here are just three recipes you may want to try for the holidays.

Chocolate Avocado Banana Mousse

What could be more delicious and decadent than chocolate mousse? This isn’t your average healthy (but not always satisfying) dessert used to hold you over until cheat day. This is a serious way to indulge.

• 2 ripe avocados
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup of pure cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of your favorite natural sweetener (agave, maple syrup, honey, molasses)

Scoop the avocado flesh out and put it in a food processor (if you have one) along with all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth. You can also mix everything up manually in a bowl. Put it in the refrigerator for about half an hour to chill, and then serve and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles

You’d never think truffles could actually be good for you. Well, think again! You can make these in as little as just a few minutes.

• 1 ripe avocado
• 6 ounces of unsweetened dark chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of pure cocoa powder
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of your favorite natural sweetener (agave, maple syrup, honey, molasses)

Scoop out the avocado flesh and mash it up in a bowl until all the lumps are smoothed out. Melt the chocolate in the microwave using a glass bowl or in a saucepan on the stove (taking care not to burn it, of course).

Once completely melted, stir in the mashed avocado, vanilla extract, salt and sweetener of your choice. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth but thick.

Let the mixture cool for a bit, and then place it in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes. Once completely chilled, you can use an ice cream scooper or a regular spoon to scoop little portions and roll into truffle-sized balls.

When you have a perfectly round truffle, roll it a few times through the cocoa powder for an elegant chocolate dusting. And they’re ready to eat!

Chocolate Fudge Avocado Cookies

These just may be the fudgiest cookies you’ll ever taste. And because there’s no flour involved, they’re perfect for the gluten-free crowd!

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of pure cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of your favorite natural sweetener (agave, maple syrup, honey, molasses)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. These cookies are really sticky, so try something like coconut oil or Pam Spray on a cookie sheet.

Scoop out the avocado and mash it up until smooth and no lumps are visible. Using a hand mixer, first mix in the sweetener and then the egg. Once smooth, add the cocoa and mix it in completely.

In a separate small bowl, combine the water and baking soda, stirring until completely dissolved. Pour it into the avocado chocolate mixture, and mix it in. Once everything has been smoothly mixed, add the chocolate chips and stir it through the batter using a spoon.

Scoop out portions of the batter onto the cookie sheet and flatten them out a bit, since they won’t spread out the way regular cookies do as they’re baking. Pop them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, take them out to cool off, and then indulge!

It’s true that avocados are pretty amazing just as they are. But when combined with chocolate? Well, that just brings them to a whole new level.

Read the original at Care 2 - Green Living.

For more recipes and information, visit Avocados from Mexico.

Read related: 14 Health Benefits of Avocado, Proven by Science (+ Delicious Avocado Recipes)