Holiday Raw Fudge
I wanted to make a pretty raw fudge for my holiday dessert table. As promised this one is loaded with non-heme iron from the cacao, raisins and apricots! Start with a base of almond butter and combine it with some cacao and agave. The addition of chopped apricots, dried cranberries, golden raisins and pecans make it a festive looking addition to your table!
A quick note: I originally tried to use raw honey instead of agave in this recipe. It was a good lesson in why agave is good alternative to other sweeteners. Because of the sweetness level of agave, you can use 1/4 to 1/3 the amount of other sweeteners. 2-3 tablespoons of agave gave me more sweetening power than 3/4 cup of honey.
There has been so many negative things written about agave but if you use an agave from a reputable company (my favorite is Xagave), you can trust that you are getting an organic, raw product, made from the juice of the agave cactus, by using enzymes and a slow dehydration process.
Dr. Oz, Dr. Weil, and others have come out in support of agave. You can get more information here: Dr Weil on Agave, and here: Xagave.
While I am sure there are sub-standard agave products on the market, there are good ones too. It is important to do your research to find out which ones are best. While I can support Xagave, as I have spoken to them and done much research on their product, I can not speak for any other agave product. I would suggest that if you want to know how a particular company is making their agave, you contact them and ask. If they are not willing to give you the information, reconsider using it. (note: I do not receive any advertising money from Xagave, I just love the product).
Holiday Raw Fudge
MAKES 64 1-INCH SQUARES
- 1 recipe almond butter, recipe here: Almond Butter (1 1/4 cups)
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/2 cup dried golden raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- Make almond butter.
- Mix in cacao, agave nectar and coconut oil.
- Mix in dried cranberries, apricots, raisins, and pecans.
- Press into 8 x 8 pan and refrigerate until set. Cut into 1 inch squares.
Elaine wrote on December 5, 2011
Hi there,
I know this post was done a year ago… but I’m wondering… say I made this recipe to ship in a care package. Will it be okay unrefrigerated?
Susan wrote on December 5, 2011
I am not sure this would be the best recipe for shipping. It would not do well if it got too warm.
jenica wrote on December 31, 2010
I am in mexico for the holidays & was thrilled when a friend sent me this recipe. I used maple syrup intead of the agave since I can’t find that here. But WOW, I am loving this & sure our guests tonight will also.Thanks for the great treat!!!
Laura wrote on December 26, 2010
Susan,
Can you please add a “print” button on your recipes?
Thank you.
Susan wrote on December 26, 2010
I will be releasing the Rawmazing Collection in print soon.
Nae76 wrote on December 25, 2010
These were THE best treats I have made in….well…at least a month. ;o)
SOOOOOOOOO YUMMY!! You did a great job! Thanks so much for posting! Merry Holidays!!
diane wrote on December 25, 2010
Yum! Raw fudge is one thing that usually goes well for me, but last night I tried my typically successful version (basically equal parts almonds taken all the way to the butter stage – as I learned here, coconut butter with a little coc. oil, cacao powder and agave, plus some vanilla, cinnamon, etc. I only had about 1/4 the agave I needed on hand, so I made up the difference with my husband’s raw honey, and somewhere in the blending process, the oils split from the solids. I have seen the enzymes in raw honey do similar things in other dishes, so I’m wondering if that was the fatal flaw. I ended up with a soup of oil that squished up from the rest of it – lol!
Nicola wrote on December 25, 2010
Susan I just wanted to let you know that I made my family a raw vegan feast for lunch here today in New Zealand – like nothing they have ever had before! Even my 94 year old grandfather (ex dairy farmer) tucked in, and a close family friend who hates vegetables came back for seconds! The menu included tacos, falafel, salad, guacamole, macadamia hummus, your famous hazelnut chocolate mousse, truffles, whipped coconut cream, eggless nog, and a boysenberry cheesecake. They all kept asking what was in it, and couldn’t believe that it wasn’t sugar or dairy or wheat! I also took the cheesecake to my 12 step meeting tonight and they loved it too! Thank you so much for all your raw inspiration and encouragement. I am following the Body Ecology diet at the moment to get myself rebalanced, but looking forward to getting back to higher percentages of raw. Have a fantastic Christmas, love Nicola
Raowdie wrote on December 24, 2010
You can get organic blue raw agave, my understanding is that is as close to raw as you can get. and it is not like high fructose corn syrup. It is a low glycemic index sugar at 15-19. You wouldn’t see diabetics during a low reaching for a bottle of high fructose corn syrup(89 -95), but agave or honey would fit the bill. Lovely recipe and photo, going shopping tomorrow me thinks!
Chris wrote on December 24, 2010
Yes, Xagave is an excellent product! I buy it in the gallon size! Thanks for this recipe, Susan, it looks FABULOUS! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Barbara wrote on December 24, 2010
WOW again – this is absolutely wonderful, delicious and easy to make. I will be taking the cranberry torte and fudge for holiday “bring a dish”. Are you planning to host a new year cleanse or fast? Count me in if you do after all these wonderful desserts.
Happy Holiday