Raw Desserts…Get Your Sweet On…Minus The Sugar Hangover After…

While a million and one holiday parties go on tonight, I decided to nerd out and stay home and play with food. I recently came across some raw dessert recipes that I really wanted to try, and knowing that I have a social weekend coming up and I have my awesome new Vitamix that blends things really well, I decided to experiment tonight with not one, but TWO recipes. 

So, what is a raw dessert? Well, essentially it is something made with natural ingredients, some of which taste sweet, but are free from all the processed sugar, butter, flour and cream that most regular dessert recipes are made with.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my share of “regular” desserts…real ice cream/gelato, the occasional cookie or piece of cake, etc…but I definitely feel like I kind of overdosed on this stuff during Thanksgiving, so I wanted to try these recipes out and see if I could experience the same kind of enjoyment with some thing a little more…nutritious.

So the first thing I made were these maca chocolate brownie bites. Now let me go over some of these ingredients a bit before I list the whole recipe. For those of you who do not know what maca is, it has become a very popular “superfood” and herb and it is considered to be a natural energy enhancer and mood stabilizer, among other things. It has been known to help regulate and balance the hormonal systems of both men and women.

The other ingredient I wanted to discuss is cacao powder. No, this is not cocoa powder, like the stuff you put in your hot chocolate. What is the difference, you may ask…?

Both cacao and cocoa powders are produced by grinding cocoa nibs to a paste or liquor and then removing the cocoa butter (the fat component of the cocoa).

To make cocoa powder the cocoa paste or liquor is hydraulically pressed to remove the cocoa butter, and this process generates lots of heat, frequently in excess of 150 degrees C. There are two types of cocoa powder; natural and Dutch-processed. Natural cocoa powder is reddish-brown in colour, very bitter to taste and has an acidic pH of around 5.3-5.8. The second type, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, undergoes an extra step at the beginning of production where the beans are soaked in potassium carbonate to alkalize the pH to a more neutral 6.5-7.6. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is darker in colour and less bitter.

So there you go, and you can read more about the amazing benefits of raw cacao powder here…

Now, for the recipe. And for those who are wondering, this is RAW, GLUTEN-FREE and even PALEO friendly.

Maca Chocolate Brownie Bites

2/3 cup coconut flakes

1/3 cup shredded carrots — packed

1/4 cup almond meal

1/3 + 1/4 cup pitted dates

1 tsp vanilla extra

2 tbsp cacao powder

2 tsp maca powder

Add all the ingredients into a food processor, blend and form into little balls. Makes about 10-12.

 

This next recipe is something I had my eye on for awhile. My version is not really original, except for instead of agave or some of the other sweeteners recipes recommended for the mousse, I used manuka honey, which I had in my cupboard. This is actually a really expensive honey, that I don’t think is necessary to own or use in this recipe, but this honey has anti-bacterial properties and I wanted to see how it would taste (and I don’t have any agave in my cupboard anyhow!)

Honestly, I don’t know if it was the raw cacao powder, or the avocado, or everything combined, but this is one of the best tasting raw desserts I have EVER had. All the magnesium you get from consuming quality raw cacao powder give you a sort of natural high…no joke! Having a quality blender or food processor is key for mixing the ingredients. I recommend this to anyone who loves chocolate but is trying to cut back on processed goodies.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

1 large avocado

1/4 cup coconut milk

4-5 tablespoons of cacao powder

1-2 tablespoons of manuka honey, or whatever honey you desire

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Blend, scoop into a bowl and ENJOY!! Feel free to add fresh berries, something I forgot to do!