Chocolate Coconut Walnut Fudge

 

 

Sometimes I come home from work and do a face plant into a box of CheezIts.   And eat giant bowls of cereal with honey drizzled on it.  If I have a big bowl of chocolate ice cream, sometimes I throw a giant spoonful of peanut butter on top.  I drink beer(s).  And sometimes, if I’m tired, I’ll eat a frozen pizza.  And I like fudge.

I’m telling you all this because there’s this little pet peeve of mine that I’ve had for a while.  And it’s this: just because I have a food blog which features (mostly) healthy-ish stuff, it doesn’t mean that I eat healthy all the time. I mean, yes, I try to, because when I eat right, I feel/sleep/think/exercise better. But I’m a pretty normal eater, too.  It makes me a little sad when people automatically assume that I’m judging their meal choice or what they made to bring to the potluck…like they really need to apologize to me if they order the steak or if they think their potato salad is bland.  I don’t really care what you put into your body at all, honestly.  That’s totally your decision.  I just need to worry about what I put into my own…and sometimes, I just need a little fudge.  And I’m really not judging your potato salad, by the way.  I’m probably thinking that it’s delicious and finally I can enjoy something that I didn’t have to make.

(This world would probably be a much easier place to live in if we all just stopped assuming we knew what everyone else was thinking.)

The bottom line is this:  I really really love food.  I love purchasing it, prepping/cleaning it, making it, photographing it, and then talking about it.  I love the whole process.  Even if that means I eat a microwave-friendly burrito every now and then.

And now for the fudge.  Ah, glorious smooth and creamy chocolate fudge.  It’s completely vegan, too, if you are looking for a nice vegan-friendly treat.  Now, if you aren’t a coconut fan, you might want to take a pass here-there is a lot of coconut flavor, even if you omit the flaked coconut on the top.

Here’s to everything in moderation.

 

 

Chocolate Coconut Walnut Fudge

Servings:  about 24 pieces (depending on how you cut it)

 

Ingredients

1 (13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 (12 ounce) packages semisweet vegan chocolate chips

2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes

1 cup walnuts, toasted

 

Instructions
1. Line an 8×8-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, sugar and coconut oil.

3. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove the mixture from the heat.

5. Add the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

6. Transfer the chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer or your standing mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.

7. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the toasted coconut and walnuts.

8. Refrigerate the fudge until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.

9. Cut the fudge into squares (I got about 24 pieces). Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

 

Source: Barely adapted from Whole Foods.