Organic & Whole Living: Chocolate Fondue

Wondering how to enjoy an extravagant dessert with your family? Sweets are OK in moderation, and the less processed the better.

I have to tell you, I was the one craving the dark chocolate and debated for a good long time about baking a chocolate cake. My dilemma was all of the sugar called for in my recipe and I only had the yucky processed white stuff left over from holiday baking. White stuff will not be used for this year's holiday baking.

Looking around I found 8oz of semi-sweet organic chocolate (the darker the better for this family) and lots of fresh fruit from the produce co-op, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples and bananas. From there, I ran with it.

I melted 8 oz of Semi-Sweet Chocolate with 1/3 cup natural cream (whole raw if you can get it) and a splash of leftover strong coffee from the morning. Mix until combined and warmed through.

A few skewers, a couple of lessons in fondue etiquette from daddy-o, like don't poke your mother's eye with your skewer, don't let your lips touch your skewer, your skewer is not a sword….  and off we went.

Oh my! It was so good, so creamy and I loved all of the fresh fruit my family ate. (sorry I missed the daylight opportunity to take a good photo for you) It's definitely not something you can't eat every day or every week, but when the craving strikes, go for something a little healthier like chocolate fondue! My husband loved it, he requested it again for "date night" at home.

Variations: Feel free to play around with this recipe, it is very basic. You can make a Mexican Hot Chocolate Fondue by adding a sprinkling of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Make a more grown up fondue with amaretto liqueur  or orange liqueur. Don't add too much liquor or the chocolate will seize up on you. 

Bonus Tip: If you have leftover fondue, chill the mixture and scoop into little round truffles, dip in raw cocoa powder for delicious dark chocolate truffles.

xoxo Gabreial