raw chocolate mousse tarts

Whenever I have a beautifully ripe avocado, I make a simple raw chocolate mousse. And to make it a bit more exciting, I serve it in little raw tart shells. The beauty of raw desserts is twofold: first, they tend to be really satisfying as they�re packed with nutrient-dense ingredients; and second, their preparation simply involves a bit of whizzing and stirring. Unlike many raw desserts (which can be high in sugar due to the use of a heap of dried fruit), these tarts are fructose-free and low in sugar.

It sounds odd to use avocado to make chocolate mousse, but the avocado gives the mousse a smooth, silky texture without the need for any cream (not that I have anything against cream � I adore it � but this recipe is great for those who are lactose intolerant, and why not get a good dose of healthy avocado fats with your mousse?). The cacao powder and sweetener ensure it doesn�t taste like avocado. I�ve given approximate quantities for the cacao powder and sweetener, as you should adjust it to suit your taste and the size of your avocado.

ingredients

For the tart shells:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• � cup shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1 tbsp raw virgin coconut oil, softened
• 2 tsp rice malt syrup (optional) 

For the chocolate mousse filling:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 3-4 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1-2 tbsp rice malt syrup
• Pinch of salt

preparation

1. To make the tart shells, whiz the cashews, shredded coconut and cacao powder in a food processor until you get fine crumbs. Stir through the coconut oil and rice malt syrup (if using).  Press the mixture into your tart pans (I use 4 x 6.7cm mini tart pans with loose bottoms, which makes it easy to pop the tarts out of the pans once set). Place the tarts into the fridge or freezer to set.

2. To make the chocolate mousse filling, whiz the avocado, cacao powder, rice malt syrup and salt in a food processor until smooth. You may need to turn the processor off and scrape the sides of the bowl a few times to ensure everything is combined well.

3. Once the tart shells are set (i.e. hard), pop them out of the tart pans and fill with the mousse.

4. Keep the tarts in the fridge right up until the moment of serving, as the coconut oil in the tart shells will start to melt at room temperature.

Makes 4 mini tarts.

NB: I use a 20ml tbsp. If you have a 15ml tbsp (if you're in the US or UK), you can measure out 4 tsp in place of each tbsp.