Instead of working behind the camera like I usually am, earlier this week I was in front of my favourite photographer’s lens working in a beautiful kitchen with a handful of recipes from my book. We were shooting some kitchen scene and outdoor photos to sprinkle in my cookbook. Our landlord was gracious enough to lend us her beautiful kitchen for the day so I was surrounded by gorgeous white cabinets, stainless steel, and a walk-in pantry. I had to pick my jaw off the floor when I walked in. What a dream!
Our wedding photographer, Dave Biesse, happened to be visiting family in Ontario this month and by a stroke of luck he was available to do the shoot at the last minute. Reuniting with him just shy of 5 years since our wedding and engagement shoot was a real treat. Dave is so warm, creative, and fun to work with. Not to mention, that Australian accent can make anyone feel at ease! Dave and Charlotte now live in Australia year-round so we don’t get to catch up nearly enough, but they will always be dear to us.
It’s been pretty chaotic around here, but exciting too. We stayed up into the wee hours of the morning for a couple nights preparing recipes, making lists, packing props, and making last minute grocery stores trips. Some recipes had to be made the morning of the shoot, so I was up super early prepping recipes and praying to the culinary gods that the food would stay fresh! Two packed coolers, 4 containers with props/appliances, a handful of freshly ironed clothing, one packed car, and a few butterflies for good measure.
A couple friends suggested that I hire someone to do my hair and make-up so I wouldn’t have to worry about it during the shoot. It sounded like a good plan, but after getting a trial done last week I ended up looking like I was going to meet the Queen. hah. I didn’t even recognize myself in the mirror. Not ideal. I don’t normally do dark eyes or maroon lipstick and I rarely curl my entire head of hair. Eric looked at me with a bit of horror on his face when he saw the finished look. It was priceless. In the end, I opted to do my own usual hair and make-up and I felt much more comfortable. Maybe it wasn’t super glam, but I felt like myself (on a good day, I suppose) which is all that matters.
I planned on taking lots of behind the scenes shots to show you, but unfortunately I didn’t have many spare moments during the day so I only snapped a couple.
Here is a picture of our landlord’s kitchen. Hello, dream boat!
This is a tiny glimpse of the chaos that took over shortly after we arrived in the AM. The entire family room was packed with our stuff. Each time we did a new shot/angle, we had to move everything around the kitchen and then set up the new recipe. The hardest part was not being able to eat all the food though!
When all was said and done, it felt like the day after a wedding. All this build up and then in the blink of an eye, it was over. Still, it’s nice to get back to everyday life where I’m free to get chocolate stains on my clothing and kale in my teeth.
My Aunt Elizabeth made this raw chocolate fudge for our big family get together last week and it was a huge hit. Us ladies were all begging for the recipe which she adapted from the Company’s Coming Superfoods cookbook. This version below is an adaptation of both the original and Elizabeth’s version, swapping ingredients as I saw fit and cutting down the portion in half since it made so much.
Even though this doesn’t have the texture of traditional fudge (it’s more like raw chocolate and smooth as silk), no one seemed to complain! It softens at room temperature (and melts in your mouth), so serve it straight from the freezer and chill leftovers as soon as possible. If you are a raw food purist and want a completely raw fudge use raw cacao powder and agave in place of the cocoa powder and maple syrup. Either way, it’s downright seductive.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Seductive Raw Chocolate Walnut Fudge
Yield
24 Small Squares
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
60
Total time
My Aunt Elizabeth made this raw chocolate fudge for our big family get together last week and it disappeared incredibly fast. Us ladies were all begging for the recipe which she adapted from the Company’s Coming Superfoods cookbook. This version below is an adaptation of both the original and Elizabeth’s version, swapping ingredients as I saw fit and cutting down the portion in half since it made so much. Even though this doesn’t have the texture of traditional fudge (it’s more like raw chocolate), no one seemed to complain. It softens at room temperature (and melts in your mouth!), so serve it straight from the freezer and chill leftovers as soon as possible. If you are a raw food purist and want a completely raw fudge use raw cacao powder and agave in place of the cocoa powder and maple syrup. Either way, it’s downright seductive.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 cup raw almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (or raw cacao powder)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch fine grain sea salt, to taste
- 3/4 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
Directions
- With electric beaters, beat together the coconut oil and almond butter.
- Sift in the cocoa powder and beat again until combined.
- Pour in the maple syrup, vanilla, and salt and beat until smooth.
- Stir in the walnuts.
- Line a loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper. Scoop the chocolate mixture into the pan and spread out until even. I took another handful of walnuts, broke them up, and sprinkled over the top of the fudge for extra crunch and good looks.
- Freeze for about 1 hour, or until solid. Slice into small squares and prepare to be seduced.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)Note: I added a tablespoon of raw cacao nibs into my batch, but next time I will leave them out as I thought they were too crunchy in this fudge.
Oh my gosh Angela, I made this and I am totally obsessing. This is THE best fudge that I’ve ever had and it’s SO easy to make. It literally took less than 5 minutes and it was so delicious. The fudge game out dense and “sink-your-teeth-in” and it was majorly chocolatey. I’m in love and I will definitely be making it again!
I have made this fudge multiple times now. I omit vanilla and use raw pecans instead of walnuts. It turns out delicious every time! I started bringing it to Potlucks and everyone just goes crazy for it! It is so easy and quick to make, yet has that decadent flavor and similar consistency to traditional fudge. Thank you for this amazing recipe! I am in love and so are all my friends with this fudge.
I applaud you for this recipe….it is truly amazing! My hubby even said it was delicious and he is a meat and potatoes man (but slowly moving more plant based)! I’m so excited to take this to get togethers and be able to tell people is is vegan after they rave about it. Thank you Angela for all your inspirational work and delicious recipes!
I want to start saying I’m not vegan or trying to become one. I look at your website regularly drooling over all your pics & recipes. I made this recipe and O-M-G! How delicious it is! The only thing I changed was the maple syrup (it was too expensive for such lil amount) for honey. I LOVE IT! I feel like eating a var of chocolate, but better tasting :)
Made this last night for my hubby and it truly is decadent! (I added 1/2 cup raw unsweetened coconut and we loved the addition) I’m hosting a women’s dinner/book study in my home and have decided to try my hand at making most vegan, raw, plant based meals. So happy to find this site and all the yummy recipes. Thank you!! xo
Im about to make this for the third time. AMAZING. I have now added dried cherries to the recipe as a MUST though….I cant even express how amazing they are in this!
Great idea. Thank you for the tip.
This is the most phenomenal fudge. Never will I go back to regular fudge again! I used 1/2 natural pb and 1/2 almond… wow.
This recipe was a huge hit with family and friends, absolutely delicious and oh so simple, thank you. It went soft very quickly once out of the fridge, any tips to help it stay firmer as I would love to be able to bring to a party or give as a gift???? Many thanks
Aside from giving it to your friends on ice in a cooler, I am not sure! hah.
Can I substitute date syrup for the maple syrup. Love love your recipes, I have made several.
Hi Suzanne, I haven’t really done any baking with date syrup so I’m not sure. But I would think it should work with any liquid sweetener?
What can I substitute for virgin coconut oil? I don’t want to have that in my fudge, thanks.
HI Angela!
I wanted to tell you how much I absolutely loooove your recipes! I am looking forward to your cookbook!! I have been switching from vegetarian to vegan over the past couple of months and your food is easy to make and delicious!! Especially to my husband who is not vegetarian! :) Slowly but surely I am changing his meals and he has not even noticed the difference! HA! I have a couple of questions for you:
I wanted to know what brand of cocoa powder do you use? I have the Hershey’s unsweetened. I also wanted to know what food processor you use in your recipes.
Hey Alexandra, Thanks for your lovely comment!
I use a Cuisinart 14 cup processor, but you totally dont need one that large. I think a 9 cup would probably do just fine! They have dif. sizes.
I use various brands of unsweetened cocoa powder…depends on which grocery store I happen to be in. I probably use the Cuisine Camino brand the most though. Hope this helps!
Mine turned out pretty flat like a pancake, is this normal?. Also I had a very hard time mixing it, was very thick…did I do something wrong with it as I followed the directions. It does taste great though. Perhaps next time I will roll them up in balls and then roll them in shredded coconut to make tiny truffles. They just taste and seem more like chocolates but I do love them!
Made this for a party last weekend & just wanted to take a minute to say that it was fabulous!!!! I will definitely be making it again! And I love your beautiful website & pictures!!!! :)
Hi Roslyn, So glad you enjoyed it! It goes fast at a party :)
What a wonderful, delicious recipe~ after making the first batch, I’ve just made a second batch to take to an ugly sweater party for tomorrow. It is so easy, and so amazing. THANK YOU!
Can these be frozen and saved for a couple of weeks?
I can’t see why not! Just wrap it up well.
You mentioned cutting the recipe in half. I would like to double it and was wondering if an 8X8 square pan would be suitable.
Thank you for all your fantastic recipes. You’ve outdone yourself this past week. Your Turtle Cookies and Fudge will be a part of our Christmas menu!
I just made these today and they are Off The Charts!!!!
Angela, hi! Is it 1/2 cup solid or melted coconut oil, same question with the raw almond butter… is it 1/4 cup liquid almond butter or 1/4 solid almond butter?
Hi Sandy, You measure the coconut oil when solid (or semi-firm) – you can see it in one of the photos there. As for the almond butter, you can use any kind you prefer. Hope this helps!
Hands down, this is the BEST fudge I have ever tasted. I am falling in love with your recipes and can’t wait to pick up your new cook book this spring. My sincerest thanks.
Hi Angela – this looks wonderful! I am trying to avoid oils. Could I leave out the oil in this recipe, or substitute something else? Thanks!