After reading the tantalizing title of this recipe and scrolling through some drool-worthy photos, (If I do say so myself!) you may be wondering how exactly fudge plays into the vegukate lifestyle.

In every way you can imagine.

Often times when new friends or family members hear that I consume a mostly plant-based diet, they consider me with pity and assume that I deprive myself of all the good things in life. I like to counter back that, in fact, I do enjoy all the good things and life and I nourish my body with as much goodness as I possibly would like. The thing about this lifestyle is that after eating mostly plant-based for so long and steering myself away from refined, processed, and junky products, my tastes have changed. My body doesn’t want sugary ice cream; it wants homemade banana ice cream.

I’ve learned that listening to my body and what works best for it has completely restructured my food and lifestyle beliefs. Do I crave fudge loaded with corn syrup, butter, refined sugar and processed chocolate? Uh no – I crave fudge made purely of whole food ingredients like almond butter and coconut oil. The best part? Those haters who may have looked at me cynically before are completely onboard when they sample their first piece of sweet potato brownies, dive into a hearty bowl of quinoa chili, or take a bite of this blissful fudge studded with swirls of date syrup.

This fudge, by the way, is made with only 5 raw, delicious, and whole food ingredients making it an incredibly simple and delicious fudge to prepare. That goodness all combines together to create one of the absolute most decadent and sinful desserts to ever hit the vegukate site. Seriously. And it’s plant based! Radical.

The secret deliciousness of this fudge lies in its ingredients. The other day I was sent a huge box of goodness from my friends at Artisana Organics. As soon as I pulled out raw coconut oil and raw almond butter from the box, I just knew I had to make a delicious, raw dessert that honored the quality, flavor, and integrity of the ingredients. Let me tell you, if you don’t really care about raw vs. processed and all that, take a spoonful of raw almond butter by Artisana Organics and prepare to have your mind blown. Not only are all their products certified non-GMO and organic, they’re processed using a temperature controlled process, leaving all of the beneficial enzymes, proteins, and vitamins intact and in their most pure and natural state. This means that the almond butter tastes like bliss and the coconut oil tastes like Tahiti – together in this fudge, they taste heavenly!

I think its time we convert the plant-based skeptics. Make some fudge and watch their mouths drop when you tell them what’s inside!

Raw Almond Butter & Date Swirled Fudge

8 Mejdool dates
1 heaping cup raw almond butter
½ cup raw coconut oil, melted*
3 heaping tablespoons raw cacao powder
2-3 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
Pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt**

Pit dates and soak them in ¾ cup of warm water for 10 minutes. Once soaked, place dates & soaking water into a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until dates and water have completely liquefied and turned into a thick, creamy paste. You may need to add more water, or another date or two, depending on the stickiness level of your dates. Remove from blender, pour into jar, and set aside.

In blender or food processor add almond butter, coconut oil, cacao powder, sweetener, and a pinch of sea salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour almond butter fudge into a small baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place baking tray in the freezer to firm up slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and top with dollops of date paste. Use a toothpick to swirl date paste into fudge. Place fudge back into the freezer to firm up – about 1-2 hours. Remove from freezer and slice into small squares.

Store sliced fudge in the freezer. When you’re craving a piece, remove from freezer and let fudge sit out 5-10 minutes to soften. Devour!

*Gently melt your coconut oil in a double broiler or by placing the jar of coconut oil in hot water for a few minutes.

**If you’re into the whole salted caramel thing, top a slice of fudge with a tiny sprinkle of additional sea salt when ready to eat. The combination is sinful!

Note / Although raw almond butter is not essential to the recipe – it makes a world of flavor difference. I promise it’s worth the splurge!

Disclaimer: Artisana Organic’s products were given to me to taste and review. All product reviews are 100% my own – and only posted if they are wholly endorsed by the vegukate lifestyle. I only review things I absolutely love, and things I know you’ll love as well!