Amazing Avocado Banana Chocolate Pudding

The word 'superfood ' seems a bit overused these days but I really think that avocados are worthy of that title. They're so tasty and versatile and you just know all that vitamin and mineral-rich oiliness is doing your body a world of good. I usually just eat them as they are with lime and salt or make them into guacamole and have it with fish but I am only beginning to discover the starring role that they can also play in sweet treats.

                     

Avocados can also be a great source of frustration. It seems that one minute they are as hard as a bullet and hours later bruised black and inedible. But when you get lucky and cut into a perfectly ripe one like this it really is a beautiful thing. I think that chart below sums up the problem pretty well.

   
                                  


I used to crave and eat something processed,fatty and sugary pretty much every day before I decided to overhaul my diet. Most of it was unsatisfying, leading me to crave more rubbish and overeat. So I haven't been eating many sweets in recent months. And I really haven't missed them much at all. But on one particularly grey evening recently, I realised that only something creamy and sweet and chocolatey would do so I decided to have a play with my blender and to make an avocado based chocolate pudding .


                   

Having come across various healthy chocolate desserts online, I knew that many of them were based on blended avocados possibly with the addition of ripe bananas. I had both so I blended them up and added cocoa, cinnamon and a little bit of salt. I had also been prepared to add some sweetener but found that it actually didn't need it at all. However, this may be down to my heightened sweet tooth after eating so few processed sweets as my friend I fed it to enjoyed it but didn't find it to be particularly sweet.  A word of warning however and that is that the stage of ripeness of your banana and avocado can be game changers here. If either are under-ripe, this could quickly become a bland, lumpy mess. With cocoa powder. (Yum.)

But when these are right this really is surprisingly indulgent, creamy and chocolatey whilst also being incredibly nutritious. It also has plenty of scope for adaptation - I think that peanut butter would be great, and I also fancy trying out a coffee version.

                               

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado
2 medium ripe bananas(skin lightly spotted)
2 heaped tbs cocoa powder (add gradually, you may need or more or less to taste)
2 tsp cinnamon
large pinch salt

Instructions

Add avocado and bananas to blender and blend until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt gradually, tasting as you go. You may find it needs a little honey or maple syrup but so far I have been lucky with the sweetness of my bananas.

Eat immediately or, if you can wait, chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and it will be even nicer.

Serve with some roasted hazelnuts and raspberries for a really yummy guilt-free treat.

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