Chocolate Mousse, Almond, & Caramel Fudge Bars

July 31, 2020

It’s been a while since we posted a sweet recipe, so we thought it was about time!

Here in NYC, it’s been HOT. Like, REALLY HOT. Apparently we’re going through a heatwave and I have to say, I’m kinda grateful that we’re not going outside too much this summer because every time you step outside it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll come back with sweat dripping off your chin. Yes, even if you just go to take out the trash!

So since it’s so hot, we’ve been craving cold or frozen treats, like ice cream. Lots of ice cream. But what else could we eat that would be a nice sweet treat after a meal or in between meals that was satisfying, gooey, and chocolatey apart from ice cream? That’s when we thought about these guys – chocolate frozen fudge slices!

Inspired by the caramel fudge slices by @positive.pantry on Instagram, we thought we’d recreate our own. We wanted something rich and satisfying, but not overly sweet and of course, refined sugar free. The result was a delicious chocolate mousse, almond, and caramel fudge that is easy to put together, stores in the freezer, and leaves you with a smile on your face every time you take a bite. And the best part is, it’s only sweetened with coconut sugar and blackstrap molasses.

You can use any container you want for them, but we recommend a square or rectangular one so that it’s easier to cut into even pieces once the fudge has frozen. You can cut it into bars like we did or smaller squares if you want bite-size treats ready to go. Make sure you let it sit for a couple of minutes after removing it from the freezer when you want to eat some so that it can defrost a little before you bit into it, otherwise it’ll be pretty hard on your teeth! By the time we took pictures of the fudge it had been out for a while so it was all soft and melt-in-your-mouth delicious (did I mention it was HOT?).

Chocolate Mousse, Almond & Caramel Fudge

Makes 4 5 X 1.25” bars

ALMOND BASE

1/2 cup | 40g almond meal

pinch sea salt

1 tbsp | 8g coconut sugar

1 tbsp | 10ml melted coconut oil

1 tbsp | 12g vegan butter (we used Miyoko’s vegan butter)

1. In a pan, lightly toast almond meal on medium flame for about 4 minutes or until golden brown, stirring constantly.

2. Combine toasted almond meal, salt, and coconut sugar in a medium bowl. Add coconut oil and butter. Cut the butter and oil into the mixture using 2 forks and pressing it in until fully combined. The should have the consistency of wet sand. With your hands, form a disc shape with it (it should stick together) . Cover and let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, line the container you’ll use for the fudge with parchment paper (we used a 5 X 5” pyrex container). Remove mixture from fridge and press it down into the container using your fingers, flattening it out as evenly as you can. Use a flat spatula or offset spatula to even it out. Cover and transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes while you make the date caramel.

DATE CARAMEL

1 cup | 200ml hot water

1 packed cup | 183g pitted dates

1 tbsp | 20g blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup | 94g freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup | 100ml water for cooking

pinch sea salt

Soak dates in the hot water for 5 minutes.
Drain water and add dates to a small pot along with orange juice, cooking water, and molasses. Cook on medium-low flame for about 13 minutes, or until the dates have softened and absorbed some of that liquid.
Transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth. The mixture will be thick, so you might need to scrape down the sides a few times.
Remove fudge container from freezer and pour date caramel over almond base layer. Flatten evenly with a spatula again, cover, and leave it in the freezer for at least 1 hour while you make the chocolate mousse.