Raspberry Jam Chickpea Fudge

Here’s a protein packed dessert you can enjoy at any time of the day! I was inspired by @goodnessavenue to make a twist on her blueberry chickpea fudge.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed

1/3 cup sunflower butter

¼ cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup coconut flour

½ cup frozen raspberries

Optional – 2 tbsp cacao powder for my chocolate lovers

Makes ~16 bars

Combine the chickpeas, sunflower butter, honey, vanilla, and cacao powder (if using) into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Add the coconut flour and blend together. I then transferred the mixture to a large bowl and mixed with a spoon to ensure all the flour was blended in (this can be hard to accomplish solely using a blender, which I used in my case).

Pour and press mixture into a small baking dish (I used a glass 11x7 dish) lined with parchment paper. Microwave the raspberries on high for 45 seconds. Mash up the berries in a bowl until they become a jam-like consistency. Spread and press the raspberry jam on the top of the chickpea fudge. Let set in freezer for 30 minutes.

When ready to eat, let thaw until a knife easily slices through the fudge. This recipe makes around 16 pieces depending on how big you cut your squares! Let sit until the fudge reaches room temperature before consuming.

I store my fudge in the freezer and repeat the thawing process each time I want to eat one. In the fridge, the fudge gets too soft, but straight out of the freezer it is too hard, and the raspberries are too icy for my liking.

The cacao powder gives this treat that extra sweetness my chocolate lovers need in a dessert! Cacao powder is a great source of polyphenols and assists heart health, so you are even increasing the nutritional profile by adding this ingredient into the fudge! Personally, I think the fudge is great either way, so switch it up from time to time.

The raspberry chickpea fudge is a fantastic source of plant-based protein from the chickpeas, omega-3 fatty acids from the sunflower butter, and various nutrients from the raspberries such as the B vitamins, iron, and fiber. Did you know raspberries are not actually a berry!? They are aggregate fruits which mean they develop from several ovaries in one flower. Berries are “simple fleshy fruits” meaning they are produced from a single ovary of one flower. These include bananas, tomatoes, grapes, and pomegranates!

I hope this recipe inspires you to expand on your definition of “dessert!” Desserts can most certainly consist of fruit; you still experience that sweet taste (from natural sugar) with the increased nutritional benefits plants provide. With this fudge being grain free, dairy free, gluten free, and nut free, many people can enjoy this delicious treat too!