If you haven’t heard, cacao seems to be all the rage lately on healthy living blogs, on Instagram, and is definitely a “superfood” to watch for. But, you may be wondering, what exactly is it?
Cacao, in the simplest terms, is 100% dark chocolate… without any added sweeteners or fats. It’s chock full of all the “health” benefits you see reported about dark chocolate. Think about it this way… nutrition professionals (myself included) recommend consuming chocolate with at least 65% cocoa in order to receive any sort of health benefit… well, cacao is 100% cocoa!
The most common and readily available way for us to consume it is as a powder, or as “cacao nibs” (basically like 100% cocoa chips). And lucky for you, this Avocado Cacao Mousse has both! (It is bitter, so I balance it out with some semi-sweet chocolate chips and maple syrup.) Paired with the healthy fats found in avocado, this is one dessert you don’t have to feel guilty about!
Avocado Cacao Mousse
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp medjool date paste or maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp cacao nibs
- Plus more chocolate chips or cacao nibs for topping
Instructions
- Slice your avocado in half and gently spoon the fruit into the bowl of your food processor with the S-blade already in place. If you would like to serve your mousse in the avocado skin, be careful not to tear the skin when removing the fruit.
- Remove the pit as well. Add in cacao powder, pure vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
- Process for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for an additional 60 seconds.
- Carefully remove the blade. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and cacao nibs.
- Serve in bowls or in saved avocado skin. Recipe makes 2 servings. Enjoy!
