Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Chocolate avocado mousse with fresh strawberries.

Today was my last day student teaching 4th grade. I wanted to thank the rm. 25 Bay View students by making an exciting treat with their June Harvest of the Month avocados. I found the recipe for avocado chocolate mousse on the Internet and had to give it a try. I topped the mousse of with fresh strawberries donated by Fogline Farm. Judging from the thumbs up and chocolate smeared smiles, the avocado mousse was a big hit. Below is the recipe I used in class. The recipe includes brown sugar (I was too nervous to experiment with my first batch). After some research, I did find a recipe for a vegan sugar free mousse, which I have listed below.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse
(from http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/chocolate-avocado-mousse)

Ingredients
*12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
*2 tsp ground cinnamon
*1 large, ripe Hass avocado, pitted and peeled
*3/4 cup light brown sugar
*6 egg whites
*1 ½ cups of chopped strawberries.

Preparation
Melt the chocolate with the cinnamon in a double boiler over hot water and set aside. Purée the avocado and brown sugar in a food processor until the mixture is smooth. With the machine running, pour in the chocolate mixture. Using a stand mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Pour the mousse into 6 small serving bowls or wineglasses and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or covered overnight. Top with chopped strawberries.


Vegan Chocolate Mousse
(From http://autonomieproject.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/vegan-recipe-of-the-week-raw-avocado-chocolate-mousse/)

Ingredients
*4 Ripe Organic Avocados
*1 Cup of Sweetener (Agave Nectar or Evaporated Cane Juice)
*1 Tbls of Pure Vanilla Extract
*1 Cup of Organic Fair Trade Cocoa Powder (or Carob)

Preparation
Slice each avocado open and scoop out the insides. Place the inside in a food processor or blender. Next add the sweetener, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Blend or process the mixture until fully blended. The mixture should be smooth and the color of chocolate. You can instantly serve the mousse, however we recommend you let it cool in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve in cups with fresh fruit or mint.

Fogline Farm strawberries

Chocolate avocado mixture

Egg whites fully beaten and ready to add to the chocolate avocado mixture.