This evening when I was perusing the isles of Tescos, I came across an old friend… Nutella. During my gap year my friend Emma and I were little short of obsessed with it. Spread on crumpets, stuck between biscuit sandwiches, even microwaved with granola, to make chocolate crunch pudding. (another story) – You name it, we did it. It was only when I was at uni that I stopped buying it. One pot wouldn’t last long enough to make the £2.50 spend worthwhile and having a whole jar of it meant it became more of a habit then a treat. Naturally it wasn’t good for me, so I quit it. Only to have as the odd treat… Instead I came up with a healthy alternative. It is a simplified version of a raw chocolate ganache cake. Basically it is just the topping, which can be served as a mousse-style pudding or used as a substitute chocolate spread. This is a really great, cheap and healthy pudding to have in your back pocket. Please excuse the lumps, I was using unfortunately  under ripe avocados this time. It might sound a strange idea mixing avocado with chocolate but I promise it works. The avocado is so smooth that when it is blended it takes on a silky, creamy texture. It is also mild flavoured and lends itself to the richness of the chocolate well. If you do have any spices in the house, like cardamom or cinnamon, be sure to experiment. Happy chocolate making…

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe Avocado
• 1 tbs Cocoa, I used Of the Earth’s Maca Hot Chocolate
• 2-3 heaped tsps Honey, to taste
• pinch of Salt

Optional extras: You could try adding any of the following to compliment the rich chocolatey flavour

• a few gratings of Orange Zest
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• a pinch of Chilli Powder, or ground Ginger

Method

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blitz. (In the absence of a blender, use a fork and mash all the ingredients until smooth)