Chocolate Avocado Pudding with Hazelnuts and Sea Salt

Chocolate avocado pudding is a healthy, creamy, decadent dessert made with avocados and raw cacao powder. The first time I had chocolate avocado pudding was when I lived in Bali earlier this year – and now I can’t imagine my life without it! Seriously. I mean, it’s not just any chocolate…but antioxidant rich raw cacao, which is totally different than your run-of-the-mill candy bar chocolate. And different from supermarket cocoa. So how is raw cacao different, exactly? It’s made by cold-pressing unroasted cacao beans. This process retains all the living enzymes and gives you a lovely powder packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Unlike that tin of Hershey’s cocoa mix (I’m sure you had it as a child, like me!) – which does not impart those benefits. So yes, the order of those two little vowels makes a difference. Raw cacao = superfood. Cocoa = not so much. But even better is that this dessert is made from avocados! Yes, green avocados. And no, it does not taste like avocados. (I know you were gonna ask!). It simply tastes like the most unbelievable creamy, decadent, chocolatey dessert…that’s full of healthy fats and nutrients. So feel free to have a second serving (I sure did!). If your avocados and cans of coconut milk sit at room temperature, you’ll need to refrigerate this pudding for 15 minutes before serving…to chill it a bit. But my avocados just so happened to be in the fridge, along with an opened can of coconut milk (#winning). So because those items were cold, I got to enjoy this lusciousness right after making it. I may or may not have even dipped my fingers straight into the food processor once it was blended…you know, for “testing” purposes. When I was in Bali I also took a cooking class (which was AMAZING!) and learned all about Balinese spices and how to cook traditional meals. If you go to Bali (which I recommend you do) you absolutely need to take a cooking class (and I recommend this one). But the reason I’m telling you this story is that there was a gentleman in our class that had never heard of adding salt to chocolate before. I don’t remember how we got on this topic, but I do remember the look of horror on his face, like “What?! Ugh, disgusting?!” Nope, it’s not disgusting. It’s BRILLIANT! If you’ve ever had high-end chocolates or truffles, you may have had perfect little flakes of sea salt on your chocolate. And the sweet/salty combo is to die for! Your taste buds be happy. So that’s what we’ve got going on here. A sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts and flakes of sea salt to top your pudding. It’s such a simple dessert and one I know you’ll have on repeat, again and again. Enjoy! Chocolate Avocado Pudding with Hazelnuts and Sea Salt   Print Prep time 10 mins Cook time 15 mins Total time 25 mins   Author: Lisa Bryan - Downshiftology.com Serves: 4 INGREDIENTS Pudding 2 large avocados, peeled and pitted ⅓ cup cacao powder 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ cup coconut milk 5 tbsp maple syrup Topping ⅓ cup hazelnuts, chopped 1 tsp sea salt flakes INSTRUCTIONS Add all pudding ingredients to a food processor and mix for one minute. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and pulse again. Transfer the pudding to a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until cold. Divide the pudding between four glasses and sprinkle hazelnuts and sea salt on top. 3.5.3208 Other recipes you might like: Molten Chocolate Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream and Pistachios Raw Mixed Berry and Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Roasted Cherry Cardamom Ice Cream Related post: Bali Island Guide ENJOY THIS ARTICLE? SHARE IT!FacebookTwitterPinterestYummlyGoogle+Stumble