Fudge, as we all know, is a melt-in-your-mouth treat thanks to the rich combination of sugar, butter and milk. So diary-laden, but oh so good. On the heels of our popular Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie post I decided I’d kick off this week with another classic dessert recipe sans dairy products: Vegan Mint Chocolate Fudge.

I admit I’m not a big fan of using flour substitutes when baking , but every once in a while I get the urge to challenge my assumption that nothing beats the golden standard of the good ‘ol combo of butter, flour and sugar.  As I was looking through my “inspiration deck” of current and past food/health and wellness magazines, recipe books and recipe cards I stumbled upon a recipe for fudge in which the base ingredient is chickpeas. The skeptic in me pondered how rich and creamy a chickpea-based brownie could really be. The colour and texture of the fudge in the recipe photograph looked stunning so I immediately challenged myself to give it a shot and make it my own…chickpeas and all ☺️.

Today’s recipe is an adapted and Thermomix-tested version of the Chocolate Mint Fudge recipe posted in Alive Magazine’s July 2017 issue – thank you Allison Day (yummybeet.com) for the inspiration! I started off customizing this recipe by using significantly less chickpeas (I use 12 oz vs the original 19 oz) and since I wanted a really strong kick of chocolate I used a generous amount of dark chocolate chips (in addition to the cocoa powder called for in the original recipe). I really liked Allison’s suggested use of coconut oil (vs butter) so I followed suit. I wanted this fudge to have a step-above-subtle mint flavour so I used both fresh mint leaves and mint extract (which are noted as optional in the original recipe). This was definitely the right call 🙂.

This fudge has a rich flavour and creamy texture just like you’d expect from the ‘real’ thing….in fact when I told my colleagues it was made with chickpeas they were beyond surprised. A small piece of this Vegan Mint Chocolate Fudge is enough to satisfy any chocolate cravings…especially on Blue Monday which happens to be deemed the ‘gloomiest day of the year’. When (and if) you need a silver lining on a day like today (or any day for that matter) mint chocolate fudge can never be a bad thing, right? 😄. Looking for other sweet treat ideas? Try our Classic Vegan Brownies or our Chewy Nut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Enjoy~

Preparation

• 1/Cook 1 cup dry chickpeas as directed (2 cups cooked chickpeas required)
• 2/Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (Tip: Allow extra paper to hang over the 2 sides of the pan for easy removal of fudge)

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (12 oz/340g)
• 4 Tbsp aquafaba (40g)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (40g)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (90g)
• 1/4 cup packed mint leaves (5g)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (55g)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (85g) (Note: If you prefer a very sweet fudge, you could substitute for 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips)
• 2 Tbsp cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp mint extract
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate, melted (optional)
• Sea salt flakes (optional)

Instructions

Note to Thermomix users: In between each step of this recipe, use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the Thermomix mixing bowl.

• 1/Add cooked chickpeas, 1 Tbsp aquafaba, coconut oil, maple syrup, mint leaves, vanilla extract and salt to your Thermomix mixing bowl. Blend 30/Speed 5.
• 2/Add 1 Tbsp aquafaba to the TM bowl. Blend 15 sec/Speed 5.
• 3/Add cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips to the TM bowl. Blend 30 sec/Speed 5.
• 4/Add 1 Tbsp aquafaba and 1 Tbsp cane sugar to the TM bowl. Blend 30 sec/Speed 5.
• 5/Add final 1 Tbsp aquafaba and 1 Tbsp cane sugar to the TM bowl. Also add mint extract. Blend 15 sec/Speed 5.
• 6/Transfer fudge to a prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Freeze for at least 2 hours, or until firm. Garnish with sea salt flakes before serving. Tip: Fudge can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days~

Recipe Notes

*As a general guideline: when cooking dry grains/beans 1 cup dry = 2 cups cooked

Product Recommendations

*Enjoy Life® Dark Chocolate Morsels *Enjoy Life ® Semi-Sweet Mini Chips

Note: This recipe was made using a Thermomix appliance, however it can easily be adapted using similar food prep tools (e.g. mutli-function processor, immersion blender etc).