Yummy Chocolate Mint Fudge
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
Well… who doesn’t like fudge?! This Raw Chocolate Mint Fudge is delicious, deep in flavor, but not so rich that you can’t enjoy it bite after bite. I have been taking a new (well to me) coconut oil test run, this time I am using Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil and I have to say that I just love it.
I am a huge fan of coconut, and the first thing I do every time I open the jar is hold it under my nose and take a giant whiff! Aah, I love the smell. There are so many incredible health benefits to coconut, so finding ways to get it into your diet is very beneficial!
Coconut farming families produce the Tropical Traditions brand in the Philippines. They use old-fashioned traditional methods that have been in use for hundreds of years. The coconut trees and family-owned production facilities are also certified organic.
One of the significant benefits of coconut oil is the nutritional value of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). The percentage of MCFAs in coconut oil is similar to human breast milk. According to researchers, to ingest an equivalent amount of MCFAs that a nursing infant would receive, an adult would need about 3 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil a day.
It is recommended that you consume this amount throughout the day, along with foods that are high in fiber and protein. However, for those not used to coconut oil in their diet, it is best to start with a much smaller dose to see how your body reacts.
I want to share more about the health benefits of coconut oil, but before I get into that, let’s jump into this recipe, whip up a batch so you can be nibbling on it while you snuggle down to do some more reading. :)
Ingredients:
yields 13 x 9 pan
- 2 cups raw walnuts, soaked
- 2 cups raw pecans, soaked
- 1 1/2 cups raw almond or cashew butter
- 1 1/4 cups extra-virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup raw cacao powder or cacao butter
- 1 cup raw coconut crystals, powdered
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1 cup fresh mint, minced
Preparation:
- Place the soaked nuts in the food processor and process until they reach a chunky stage.
- I like to have small chunks in my fudge, but if you want it to be smoother, go ahead and process the nuts to a finer consistency.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in the food processor along with the nuts. Combine and mix thoroughly to fully incorporate all ingredients.
- If you use cacao butter, it will help the fudge stay firm at room temp.
- Line your pan with plastic wrap leaving a couple of inches overhanging the pan.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan and press to even out the mixture. You decide on the size of the pan you want. The smaller the pan, the thicker the fudge. The larger the pan, the thinner the fudge.
- Set pan in the fridge or freezer for about a half-hour.
- Once firm cut into the desired sizes. Keep in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve. It does soften up a bit at room temp, making it a bit messy to eat. But I don’t mind licking my fingers.
- This fudge is terrific to make in advance and keep in the freezer for those chocolate emergencies.
The Institute of Culinary Ingredients™
- Raw Coconut Crystals add a “brown sugar” flavor to a recipe. Read about it (here).
- What is raw cacao powder?
- For tips on working with raw cacao butter, click (here).
- What is Himalayan pink salt, and does it matter? Click (here) to read more about it.
- Is coconut butter the same as coconut oil? Click (here) to find out.
- Learn how to make raw almond butter by clicking (here).
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, No Dehydration Required, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
I will be making this for the holidays for sure!
Hi, Amie,
Do you think there might be something else one could use in place of the nut butter. ??? I just feel they are too heavy and have enzyme inhibitors, so not very digestible (unless you get the sprouted nut butters, or sprout them yourself and make your own…a lot of work!!!) and I have a lot of sprouted nut flour that I have made from nut milks, and wish I could use them for something like this…maybe in place of the nuts???
Wondering what you think…
many thanks, kate mccabe
Hi Kate,
I understand your concern in wanting a “lighter” dessert here. All I can say is that you can try using the nut flours in place of the nut butter. You may need to up the moisture of the batter in the end though. Oddly enough, avocado might be a good replacement. The color and flavor would be well hidden but it would add that creaminess to the recipe. Or coconut butter or even just extra pecans and walnuts that are already being used. One would have to experiment. ;)
I used to use Tropical Traditions VCO, but I’ve switched to Nutiva. I think the flavor and scent are much more “coconut-y”. I do still use Tropical Tradition’s expeller pressed oil for recipes where I don’t want a coconut flavor.
Just found you yesterday and already I’m loving all of your recipes (well, at least the pictures and descriptions since I haven’t actually made any of them yet). But, I plan on making some very soon. They look yummy. What a wonderful site! Keep up the good work.
When you say Walnuts, soaked, do you mean use them wet? I soak and dehydrate lots of nuts and store to have on hand. Curious if I need to resoak for this recipe?
Thanks!!!
Kate, no need to soak them again. A majority of people don’t already soaked and dehydrated nuts on hand. Have a great evening! amie sue
Thanks! Your website is amazing!
Hallelujah! I found a sweet’s recipe without dates. Not that I don’t love dates, and had many affairs with them, it’s just I have blood sugar issues, and now opt for a very low glycemic raw diet. I was goin to find the recipes and leave a post asking for a possible replacement, but I shall do it here. So a lot of raw desserts have dates. I got the sweetener down pat, love Birch Xylitol, love it. But I guess the struggle has been finding the texture similiar to dates, moist. I’m guessing possible some type of nut or seed butter, or coconut butter which I love, but they can get quite costly. But I will def try this one and see. But if you use the cacao butter, will it still look and taste chocolatey? One last, also a lot of other recipes have cashews, not just sweet ones, but others. I love cashews, but the “raw” ones are costly man, I was wondering if another seed etc might work, or maybe something you had tried when outta cashews? Thanks much!
Yes, dates are very popular. Not only for their taste but for the role they play in a recipe. They offer a thick, like glue consistency that really holds a certain texture to treats. Using nut butters instead could really change not only the flavor of a recipe but also the consistency because it is a fat. If you use cacao butter it will for sure give a recipe a chocolate flavor. All in all, Davy, it is going to depend on the recipe and what the end game is for it, so I can’t really give you a specific answer. As far as using something else other than cashews in a recipe, you bet there are other options; hemp seeds, zucchini puree, sunflower seeds, quinoa…BUT it depends on the recipe. Boy, I am not much help, am I. haha
This looks amazing! We just got fresh mint from our local CSA and I can’t wait to use it in this recipe. Love your site!
Hi Lauren, let me know if you make it. Would love to hear your opinion. I love fresh mint! Have a wonderful weekend. amie sue
hello Amie!
I need your help on this one! I have put cacao butter instead of cacao powder, and replaced the almond butter by sesame one. it turned out that the dough is very very very greasyyyyy! mamma mia!
I tried to fix it by adding cacao powder and buckwheat floor that I had in hand but it still very oily. I even strained it with a nutbag milk but stillll…..
now it is stored in the freezer not wanting to throw it and not knowing what to do :-((
do you think you can help me fix please?
thank you (from Paris) o much for being you and a good coach through your recepies. you are a big inspiration for me.
ps : by the way the dill kale chips recepie was amazing. Encore! :-)
Good afternoon Nada,
I am sure totally sure at this point what can be done without me being there to really access the situation. Now that it is in the freezer and set up.. is it enjoyable to cut out a piece and eat it? Is there oil that puddles in the mixture or just greasy to touch? This might be one that is going to have to stay in the freezer to keep the texture from being too greasy in room air. Again, hard for me to know without seeing it. I will throw out some thoughts that come to mind; the nuts might have been over processed and started to release some of their natural oils on top of the oils already put into the recipe, all of the ingredients didn’t get incorporated enough or could have even been over worked cause the oiliness. Let me know your thoughts on what I shared and my questions.
I am glad that you enjoyed the dill kale chips. :) Blessings Nada, amie sue
Could lecithin be added to this and similar recipes so they didn’t require refrigerating to keep from melting or softening too much? And if so, what would you recommend? I like to take raw “goodies” on the road and of course many are just too soft when not kept very cold.
Hello Katydid,
No, lecithin doesn’t work that way. (https://nouveauraw.com/special-raw-ingredients/raw-lecithin-thickener/). You need ingredients that stay hard at room temp so think of coconut butter and cacao butter. It will always depend on the recipe though. Sorry that there isn’t a black and white answer. :) amie sue
Hello this does look yummy. Is the cacao powder 1 cup and cacao butter 1 cup also, like you use both in this recipe. Or is the cacao butter instead of coconut oil? Thanks
Hello Shelley,
It is just as it reads… “1 cup raw cacao powder or cacao butter (the butter would help the fudge stay firm at room temp)” You can use one or the other…if you use the cacao butter it will help the fudge to stay more firm at room temp. Have a great evening. :) amie sue
Dear Amie Sue,
The only way I enjoy coconut oil is when I use a refined version of it… My question is – how is the taste of “Tropical Traditions” coconut oil compares to the store bought oil taste? Is it so much better that it’s not comparable? Or does someone need to like coconut oil anyway to begin with? :)
Thank you!
Natalya
Good morning Natasha.
To be honest I haven’t used that brand for years now. That recipe was posted on the site in 2011. I am not currently using it because I don’t like it… I just try to buy local so I get other brands as well. I did enjoy that brand for sure. IF you don’t like the taste of coconut oil then it might be best to stick to the refined version. Unrefined, no matter the brand, will have the taste of coconut. I hope you are safe and healthy. blessings, amie sue
Thank you! <3. Hope you are safe and healthy too!