RAW Chewy Freezer Fudge

I know that health nuts everywhere tout the benefits a Raw food diet, but I have to admit that I love food far too much to only eat raw. Now, since I have no idea why anyone would eat Raw, I did a little research and found a quick list of benefits to why one would want to eat Raw. They include a fiber rich diet, clearer skin, increased energy, lower saturated fats in raw food, and increased nutritional value in raw foods. Healthy benefits aside, there simply is no substitute for a delicious piece of cake or a cookie that is warm, right out of the oven. That said, I did stumble upon a recipe for Raw Freezer Fudge that sounded pretty good and I decided to give it a try.

The recipe has no refined sugar and the base is made of almond butter. In the event you don't have any almond butter, like I didn't, I just made my own. Super easy....just take 4 cups of almonds and grind them up in your food processor. Add a little oil until you get the consistency of a nut butter and voila - it's done! This will give you the 16 oz. needed for the recipe.

One caveat to this recipe is that it is fattening! You will not experience that sugar rush which is a definite bonus, however eat it sparingly and keep it in the freezer. Once it is kept out, it will begin to have the consistency of your nut butter, which is delicious, but a bit messy.

Raw Chewy Freezer Fudge
(adapted from the cookbook Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow)

Ingredients
2 cups almond butter (16 oz. jar) or try making your own nut butter!
¼ cup cocoa or carob powder
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 heaping tablespoon coconut butter
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 cup shredded coconut, optional (this is my little addition because I’m a coconut lover! Plus, this bulks up the fudge, stretching the ingredients even further so there’s more for everyone!)

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring well.

Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment or plastic wrap. Place the fudge into the pan and cover the surface of the fudge with parchment or plastic wrap & press down evenly to flatten. Place in the freezer to chill.

After an hour or so (if you can wait that long but I recommend you do or your fudge bars will be too sticky!), flip it out of the pan onto a cutting board and cut into bit-size squares. Store squares in a covered container in the freezer otherwise they will get soft and mushy.