Almond butter banana 'fudge'

Trying to cut down on sweets or maintain a healthier lifestyle? It may not be traditional fudge, but give this almond butter banana fudge a try and your sweet tooth won't know the difference.

I like to keep a healthier treat at home for those times when all I crave is a major kick to the face with sugar. Often I get cravings for a small bite of chocolate or something sweet. A weakness of mine is ice cream (a reason why I never have any in the house).

I also think it is crucial to have a small little treat around if you’re making your way over to a whole foods diet – especially in the beginning stages. When processed foods get kicked to the curb in favor of whole natural foods, the outcome is a huge reduction of sugar and salt. These two key ingredients trick us into thinking these foods taste good. So as you eliminate processed foods you’ll no doubt be craving sugar and salt in a way you haven’t before because they were previously hiding in everything processed that was being consumed.

Arm yourself with some healthy or at least natural sweets, so when a sugar fix attacks you like a sale does to a shopaholic, you’ll have a stash of these to get you by. Your sweet tooth will be soothed and you’ll have successfully averted a grab for the Haagen Dazs.

Unbelievable almond butter banana “fudge”

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup almond butter

 1/8  to 1/4 cup of raw honey

1/2 of a banana, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a small pot. Heat over low heat until things get melty, about 30 seconds. Blend with an emulsion blender until the mixture is smooth. Alternately a food processor would work and you can skip the melting process but blend for longer.

Pour into a small 3- x5-inch mini loaf pan lined with parchment paper or pour into silicone molds. Allow the mixture to cool in the freezer or fridge into solid. Slice into small 1- x1-inch squares or slices. Because of the coconut oil, these will melt if not kept in the fridge or freezer.

Other “fudge” flavor options:
 

Maple walnut fudge: Substitute maple syrup for honey. Blend until smooth and fold in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. For a lovely version of a Chocolate Peanut Butter “Fudge”, see Mindy at The Purposed Heart for this tasty version. Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet featured this delightful fudge a few years ago if you’re more of a classic chocolate fudge kinda person. Over at Chocolate Covered Katie you’ll find all kinds of desserts to kick a sweet tooth in a more natural way, and her fudge inspired the banana in my recipe. Thanks Katie.