Mocha Walnut Fudge

Raw Dessert Treat

Vegan and Gluten-Free

If you keep a jar of coconut butter in your pantry, you can always make an impromptu raw dessert that will fully satisfy your loved ones and completely wow your guests.

This Mocha Walnut Fudge is a world class dessert.  It looks and tastes incredibly like the freshly-made fudge you would by at specialty stores along a seaside boardwalk but with none of the sugar, dairy and other health-compromising ingredients.

What is Coconut Butter?

Coconut butter is made from the whole flesh of mature coconuts.  It is essentially a dense spread that contains all of the incredible nutrition of the coconut, including it’s health-enhancing oil, dietary fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals.  It usually separates, leaving a layer of the oil on top, which you resolve by stirring it.  In the winter months when it  becomes very hard to stir or scoop, I place the jar in a bowl of hot water to get it to quickly loosen up.  You can buy coconut butter at health food stores or online.

Not an Inexpensive Treat

I used to prefer the Artisana brand in a 16 oz. jar, but lately MaraNatha has come up with their own coconut butter — a 15 oz. jar that runs between $8.99 to 10.99.  I’ve seen the Artisana brand as high as $16.00.    Because you will use an entire jar of the coconut butter, this is not an inexpensive treat to make BUT the flavor is so compelling and the fudge is so dense and rich, a little truly goes a long way.  Even with my family’s strong sweet tooth, the first batch of Mocha Walnut Fudge I made lasted a week!

Mocha Walnut Fudge

Ingredients:

• 1 jar of coconut butter (either 15 or 16 oz.)
• 1/3 cup raw walnuts*
• 6-8 TB. raw honey, coconut nectar or agave**
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2-3 TB. Frontier coffee flavoring or 1/4 cup strong espresso
• 1/4 cup Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Ganache:  Whisk equal parts of cacao powder and coconut oil in a small bowl (for instance 1/4 cup of coconut oil with 1/4 cup of cacao powder – you will have extra but it won’t last long :- )  Then add a few tablespoons in of your favorite gooey sweetener (maple syrup, honey, agave, coconut nectar) until you achieve the sweetness you prefer.  Add a dash of salt and alcohol-free vanilla flavoring to enhance the flavor.

Directions:  Blend all except the Chocolate Ganache ingredients in a bowl.  Start with only 6 tablespoons of the honey and taste to see if you prefer it sweeter before adding more.   Spread into a shallow baking dish.  The one pictured above measures 10 x 7 x 2 inches.  Make the ganache and either spread on top or using a knife, spoon or toothpick, gently work the chocolate through the uppermost layer of the coconut butter batter to get a marbling effect.  Sprinkle walnuts on top.

*Raw Walnuts – You can use them direct from the bin, but I always soak my nuts for about 10-12 hours to remove any anti-nutrients from the skin and to make them more bio-available.  I then dehydrate them until fully dry and store in jars.

**While I prefer how honey blends with the coconut butter, if you are sensitive to honey or do not consume it, you can use any of the other sensible sweeteners listed above.  You can try this with stevia but I have found that using a viscous sweetener works best.

Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 2 hours.  If you are in a hurry place in freezer for about an hour.  Remove and using a sharp knives, score into pieces that measure approximately 1.5 inches – remember the fudge will be about 2 inches deep so that is going to be an ideal serving size.

Featured in our 15 favorite healthy chocolate recipes »

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