Avocado Mousse (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Dear Leah Renee, 

I’ve heard about avocado’s being used in smoothies and in place of butter in recipes, so are there some good desserts to be made with them too?  ~Nikki, PA 

Yes!  Avocados can be used to make guacamole, spice up a sandwiches, thrown into a smoothie for a creamy finish and dose of healthy fats, and in place of unhealthy or processed ingredients in recipes.  But here, they hold their own and carry the dessert recipe all by itself.  

Avocado mousse.  Yes, you can actually enjoy chocolate mousse minus refined sugars, cream, and dairy products.  

You will need these items: 

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup pure cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk*
• 2 TB date paste (soaked dates & blended into a paste)
• 2 TB pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Any toppings (if) you want!  I used slivered almonds for some crunch and garnished with a strawberry.  

*if your almond milk is not the unsweetened variety, you can cut back on the syrup.  A little taste test will let you know!  A packet of stevia can also be used in place of the date paste and/or maple syrup. Please feel free to experiment with any other sweeteners you prefer (honey, brown rice syrup, coconut sugar…)

Toss everything in a bowl, a food processor, or high speed blender:

 

I used an electric hand mixer in a bowl since there weren’t that many ingredients.  Using a rubber spatula, I scraped the bowl clean and filled my glass with the decadent, yet healthy, avocado mousse I just made: 

 

What are your favorite avocado recipes?