Healthy chocolate recipes to make this Easter

I fell for a Hello Kitty white chocolate egg last Easter. Hello Kitty AND white chocolate! Never mind that it was being marketed at children. Never mind that I am, in fact, an adult... She had to be mine. I tried very hard not to be sad when I took her out of the box and tore off a pretty little ear, ready for demolition. Don't be ridiculous, it's an egg not a person. 

Only, there was a problem. The chocolate was gross. I'd maimed my very own Hello Kitty for a sickly sweet egg which tasted like milk powder. Cue crashing disappointment and a vow to do better next year. And here we are! I've been gathering raw chocolate recipes which tick the seasonal box and won't leave you feeling stodgy / disappointed.

1. Raw chocolate brownie

These guys are my ultimate faves. Using nothing but nuts, dates, cacao and maple you can whip them up in minutes (no need to even put the oven on - winner) and munch on them all week long. Here's my raw brownie recipe.




2. Chocolate smoothie

I make this if I've done some cardio first thing in the morning. And by cardio, I mean a gentle meander around the park. It's basically rewarding myself with chocolate for doing exercise but given that raw cacao powder is absolutely crammed with antioxidants, that's nothing to feel bad about. Here's my current favourite combo...

1 banana
1 tbsp cacao powder
handful of spinach leaves
1 kiwi
a squeeze of lemon juice
filtered water

Put everything in your blender and pour in enough water to cover 2/3 of the ingredients. Whizz up until smooth. If my banana isn't completely ripe I'll add some honey for sweetness.

3. Cherry and chocolate fudge

I followed Madeleine Shaw's recipe for these beauties and even the litmus test that is my husband couldn't believe that they are a healthy snack. They are DELICIOUS! Her recipe for cherry choc fudge isn't on her website but follow the steps for her raw chocolate fudge and simply stir some dried cherries into your mix once you've whizzed up the rest of the ingredients.



4. Sweet potato brownies

I followed Deliciously Ella's recipe for these, which you can find here. You steam two sweet potatoes, blitz them in a processor with some medjool dates, add the mixture to buckwheat flour, ground almonds, cacao powder and maple and bung it all in the oven to bake.

While they are nice I wouldn't say that they quite match the hype. They are a bit too heavy for my liking, though that does mean that a little square goes a long way. I'd say that it's definitely worth giving them a go if you haven't tried them yet, but personally I prefer the nuttier texture of a raw chocolate brownie.



If all that raw chocolate isn't floating your boat, these dirty blondies should do the trick.