Dairy and Refined Sugar-Free Fudge

I was having a craving for chocolate (when am I not) and I didn't have any in the house, so I whipped up some fudge with what I had on hand. It turned out amazing! I used sunflower seeds in the first batch because it’s what I had on hand, but I knew it would also taste amazing with any kind of nut. I have done a few batches since then, one with walnuts and it was equally as good if not better. You can customize to your tastes or just use whatever you have on hand!

It is so addicting and between Everly, Jason and I it was gone in a few days. I love giving it to Everly as a special treat because we don't give her store bought chocolate and try to avoid anything with refined sugar. Obviously I love my treats though and want to let Everly enjoy some healthy treats in moderation as well. I feel good about letting her snack on this. It is also dairy-free, refined sugar-free and has only 2 tablespoons of honey in the whole batch.

If you are like me and need to have chocolate everyday, whip up a batch of this to keep in the fridge or freezer for when those cravings hit. A little bit goes a long way thanks to the healthy fats and rich cocoa flavor. It's so satisfying and not too sweet. It definitely is more of a dark chocolate fudge due to the small amount of sweetener used, which is what I love about it. It also maintains a slight crunch from the nuts or seeds which gives it such a great texture. Check out the recipe below.

Dairy and Refined Sugar-Free Fudge

Makes: 24 pieces

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil
3/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
2 tbs honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup canned coconut milk (any other milk will work here, I have also used almond milk)
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup walnuts or sunflower seeds (or you could use any nut you have on hand )

Instructions:

Start by putting the coconut oil, cocoa powder, vanilla, honey and coconut milk in a small pot over low heat until melted and combined. Turn off heat immediately. Stir in the pinch of sea salt. It’s okay if it’s pretty thick.
Put that mixture into the Vitamix with the banana and nuts or seeds. Blend until smooth desired consistency. If you like a bit of texture from the nuts blend less, or if you want silky smooth fudge blend for longer. I personally prefer it to still have a bit of the chunks from the nuts.
Scrape the mixture out into a greased loaf pan (you can also use an 8x8 inch pan, the fudge will just be thinner). I just sprayed mine with coconut oil, but you could also use parchment paper so that it comes out easier.
Place in the freezer for ~20 minutes or until hardened. Then cut into squares and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.