Take a break from sugar overload this holiday season and curb your holiday indulgence with deceptively healthy chocolate dessert hummus dip.
If I know Santa, he loves chocolate as much as the crew of Little Rusted Ladle does. You don’t get a belly like he does without a healthy dose of treats, and chocolate is definitely a treat. We love it in cookies, cakes, pies, sauces, dips, frostings, in drinks, or on its own.
On its own, chocolate is a pretty healthy ingredient. Dark chocolate (70-85% cocoa) contains antioxidants and minerals such as iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium as well as containing a generous amount of fiber. It can also lower blood pressure and raise HDL (good cholesterol). The problem with chocolate is it is often paired with a couple ingredients we try to avoid: processed sugar and dairy.
Oh sure, the nine of us (Santa, Jena, Brandon, Austin, Elijah, Logan, Kennedy, Judi, and I) could just eat dark chocolate, but sometimes there is no substitute for a rich, creamy chocolate dessert. So what can we do to get that smooth, chocolate fix without the guilt? It’s called Holiday Chocolate Dessert Hummus, and trust me, you’re going to want to make some.
Sweet Holiday Dessert Hummus
I know what your thinking, chocolate hummus, really? Of all the chocolate desserts, we chose one made with garbanzo beans? Yes, we did, and Santa is going to thank us for it. We are certainly getting extra presents under the tree this year.
Why? For one, chocolate hummus is delicious! Also, the rich chocolate flavor works really well with the texture of the creamy pureed chickpeas, which have a very neutral flavor on their own. When we substitute coconut oil for the olive oil, Coconut milk for the tahini, and add raw sugar and vanilla, the hummus gets transformed from a savory middle-eastern dip, to a decadent western dessert.
Healthy, High-Quality Ingredients
Want to know how good this dessert is? Well, recently, when I served this tasty treat to some clients, they were shocked that it was made from chick peas. I piped some of the chocolate hummus onto Mexican wedding cookies and topped them with fresh raspberries—proof of the versatility of this dessert.
And while they found the chocolate hummus delicious, what makes it noteworthy is the ingredients. When compared to a homemade frosting using butter and sugar, we see some pretty dramatic results. The calories go from around 140 to 100. The sugars go from 16 grams to 9, but more importantly, we eliminated the processed sugar and replaced it with raw sugar, which helps lower inflammation. The fat stays about the same, but we substituted healthy coconut oil for the butter.
Finally, using chickpeas almost doubled our fiber, which for a dessert is pretty astounding.
Maybe Some Mascarpone?
So this Christmas, when you are thinking about leaving cookies and milk for Santa, think about leaving him some chocolate hummus instead. If you have to leave any cookies (it is traditional after all), try some cute little teddy graham cookies dressed up with mascarpone cheese like gingerbread men.
Santa will probably appreciate it more than another plate of sugar cookies. After all, Santa visits a lot of houses and making yours memorable can really help get you off the naughty list.
Until next time, remember to cook with love and live to cook. Jena and I and our families would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to another fabulous year in 2018.
Jim & Jena
Holiday Chocolate Dessert Hummus
Ingredients
- 15 ounces Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup Unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- ½ cup Organic raw turbinado sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Coconut oil melted
- 3 Tbsp. Coconut milk
- 1 tsp. Pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. Sea salt
- ¼ cup Coconut water
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a simmer.
- Add chickpeas and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain chickpeas.
- Add chickpeas and remaining ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Process for one minute or until smooth.
- Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed. Serve at room temperature.
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safisdesserts says
I LOVE this post. Very interesting info! Perfect just what I was looking. Nice PICS. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank You !!!
Beautifully executed. Starting to end I couldn’t stop myself and went on reading it. Pics are very attractive.
Jena Carlin says
Thank you so much for your kind words! I am a food photographer by trade so it means a lot!