I’ve been thinking about chocolate.
Not chocolate bar chocolate, more like chunk-of-fudge chocolate to dig my teeth into. Not something easily attained, as you know, when gluten, dairy, and soy free. So when I saw this fudge recipe last week on Alisa’s Go Dairy Free blog I thought this just may be what my fudge tooth is looking for.
By the way, Alisa has so many tasty looking recipes and is a great resource for all things dairy free with a page specifically for gluten and dairy free, and has an extensive No Dairy Products List http://www.godairyfree.org/no-dairy-product-lists.
Fudge while watching the final episode of Season 3 of OITNB …PERFECT. Let’s ignore the fact that I am still in DVR mode when it comes to Netflix.
While satisfying said fudge tooth I thought how fun would it be to surprise my boys after school with pumpkin spice milkshakes with brownie bites added in – because chocolate and pumpkin are crazy good together – topped with a bat-shaped piece of fudge … a cute Halloween-themed snack to come home to on a Friday afternoon.
Wish I had a milkshake and fudge like this after school.
They owe me big time for this.
I spoil my kids with food. A terrible habit that’s hard to break because they’re just too darn cute.
But don’t you worry, I usually get a (big) piece of the action (hehe).
These bites are fudgetastical!! Does anybody really say that? Probably not.
The fudge made me say that.
But what’s fudge without a pumpkin spice brownie milkshake (no-sugar added ice cream for my kids but you would never know it. shhh.), right? Right. Just like peanut butter and jelly. A match made in heaven that brings on a whole lot of giddy and happy and happy and giddy and giddy and happy … and happy and giddy … not the climbing-the-ceilings type of giddy and happy (ugh, not good)…
but more like lots of kisses AND scoring a breakfast in bed this Saturday giddy and happy. I have the best kids.
With a little planning, the fudge is delightfully simple to make, along with this easy milkshake, and can quite possibly score you a breakfast in bed.
Oh and I should tell you, despite using bittersweet chocolate, it didn’t have a bitter taste at all — what it does have is a creamy, rich texture you’re going to love. An added bonus: all those health benefits and it’s freezer friendly!!
Go ahead and stash some nibbles away for those extra-long days. I won’t tell.
Cheers!
- For the chocolate fudge:
- 10 ounces gluten free, dairy free bittersweet chocolate (I used Theo 80%
cacoa ), roughly chopped - ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ cup coconut milk, original flavor
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon
gluten free pure vanilla extract - ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder, for dusting (optional)
- For the milkshake:
- Makes 24 ounces
- 1 container gluten free, non-dairy vanilla ice cream (I used So Delicious No-Sugar Added Vanilla)
- 1 heaping cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 6 Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Brownie Bites
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- For an egg-free or vegan option: try Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunk cookies instead of brownie bites
- For the chocolate fudge:
- Line an 8-inch baking pan with (folded in half) parchment paper that will hang off the sides for easy lifting.
- *Make ahead: soak cashews in a bowl of water overnight, then drain and use in
recipe . - Melt the chopped chocolate in a double
broiler set over medium heat, or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan partly filled with water (making sure not to let the water touch the bowl). Add coconut oil and stir using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fully blend. Add coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, kosher salt. Stir to blend well for another minute thenremove from heat. - Meanwhile, pulse cashews in a food processor. Scrape down what is stuck on the sides and continue to pulse into very smooth, about 2 minutes. I scraped down the sides three times to get a very fine texture. Set aside.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the food processor. Process until smooth, about one minute. Transfer into baking pan and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. When chocolate fudge has set run a dull knife around the edges without the parchment overhang, then pull out onto a cutting board. Cut out bats (or any shape you like) by pressing into the fudge then nudge it back and forth to lift up. Gently push out
shape by pressing on the bat wings. Dust with cocoa powder. Then insert a toothpick into the bottom center and put inside each straw. Put straws into milkshakes and serve. - If cutting into squares: cut squares first, then dust with cocoa powder. Keep any remaining pieces refrigerated.
- For the milkshake:
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender (Blendtec or Vitamix). Serve immediately.
- Some Notes:
- Many bittersweet or semisweet chocolate contain soy lecithin. Theo brand or Guittard baking chocolates are soy free.
- Fudge is freezer-friendly and can be stored in a freeze-safe container. Keep parchment or wax paper between cuts to prevent sticking when thawing out.
- Make sure cashews are submerged in water. It can remain at room temperature, covered, overnight.
- For cutting out small shapes: it may soften after 20 minutes depending on the room temperature. It’s best to begin cutting once taken out of the refrigerator. If it is getting too soft, chill 5-10 minutes before continuing to cut out shapes.
- If you don’t happen to have little bat shaped cookie cutters (and other frivolous-yet-subjectively-necessary-mom-baking-tools), use any other cookie cutter you like or simply cut them into squares. Whichever way you cut these the rich dark chocolate fudge will taste just as delicious.
- A good pinch of salt balances out the bitterness from the dark chocolate nicely.
- The original recipe calls for cayenne pepper. I chose to leave it out to get the full chocolate flavor. I would like to try cinnamon or ginger next time. For the
holidays a mint fudge would be nice to give as a gift. - I dusted mine with cocoa powder for a pretty effect, completely optional.
- There will be odds and ends from cutting shapes. You can soften the fudge at room temperature then use mini scooper or spoon to make little fudge balls. Coat with shredded coconut, nuts, or dust with cocoa as another snack idea.
- If you prefer a mild tasting fudge use a lower percentage, but not lower than 70% because lower percentages contain more sugar, which may affect the shape and texture of the fudge.
- For the milkshake:
- I added frozen pumpkin puree to make this extra thick without diluting the flavor from ice. Measure a heaping cup (homemade roasted puree or canned) and store in a freezer bag overnight while the cashews are soaking overnight.
- I double the milkshake recipe and had some remaining for the next day. The flavors were even more like pumpkin pie, and will be making it a day ahead next time because we love pumpkin pie. If making ahead, do give it a quick whisk before serving and cut the pumpkin spice in half if you do not like pumpkin pie flavors.
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