You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy these little beauties, it’s always a great time for a guilt-free and sinfully delicious snack! Made with diary-, gluten- and sugar-free ingredients, these little bliss bombs are all you could hope for in any chocolate dessert.
You’ll find yourself smitten with just one bite, especially if you’re a fan of the tart and bitter combination of full-power dark chocolate and lip-smacking raspberry. Best served cold, these little gems can also be made ahead of time and frozen for a decadent treat at a moment’s notice.
A vegan treat for all occasions
I once made these delicacies for some of my extremely non-vegan friends and didn’t tell them what it was made from… the results? Very happy punters indeed! That’s something that I love the most about it, it truly feels decadent even if you’re a cheese and cream aficionado or meat and three-veg kind of regular.
My friends were so impressed, they even insisted on getting and using the recipe for themselves….
This recipe is my go-to treat when i’m wanting to impress but also wanting to eat healthy. The best bit is, no one even knows it’s vegan or dairy-free, it’s just that creamy!
Emerald Emery
It’s also a wonderful site on a plate at the end of a dinner party or beautifully feminine morning or afternoon tea served with properly brewed chai, nestlee amongst the many other cakes.
So this recipe is actually pretty fail-proof, but there are a couple of things that put the awe in awesome with this one and it comes a lot down to your choice of ingredients.
- Cashews: Always buy the freshest you can find, and never use roasted for this recipe, the harsh roasted flavour is too distracting. Believe it or not but soaked cashews when blended make an incredible substitute for cheese / cream cheese. See vegan probiotic cheese for a more savory example.
- Raspberries: Whilst I’ve suggested using frozen berries(because I never seem to get to my fresh ones in time so I always have a load in the freezer, and I also can never resist buying a load at the farmers market) you can absolutely use fresh you just need to cut down your cooking time slightly.
- Vegan chocolate: Not all vegan chocolate is the same in my humble experience, and for this recipe your preference should depend on how strong you like your chocolate hit, but I tend to use 70%, and brands like Lindt where there’s not as high of a cocoa butter to cocoa ratio – so it’s cocoa hit for your crunch.
Preparing the Perfect Parcel
There’s no business like chocolate business, and although it’s easy to get it to the right consistency there’s some hot tips I like to share about getting the temper right every time.
- If you’re using a bayonette, never let the water boil, and never let it touch the bottom of the bowl… let it simmer gently and heat with the steam. It may take longer but you’re guaranteed a silky smooth result everytime.
- If you’re using the microwave method, always check every 10 seconds to mix it and make sure you don’t burn pieces of the chocolate.
- Never add water or anything wet to your melting chocolate, you’re sure to mess up the consistency if you do.’
- When dipping, always make more melted chocolate than what you need, because it helps you get a full coverage and also doesn’t cool down as fast and become solid again.
For more info on getting the perfect chocolate coating read: Rendering chocolates for the new cook
Enhancing the Recipe: A Few Secrets
This recipe is pretty boogey on its own but there’s a few simple ways you can take it up a notch. Add some unique flavors; coat it in something eye-catching or simply shape it into something a little more intentional and you’re sure to make it even more the moorish.
Roses are red: Use a dash (and I mean only a dash) of rose water to add another layer of decadence and intrigue to the event.
Coverage: Go two-toned chocolate, make shaped chocolate disks to go on top, coat with rose petals, nuts, edible gold or sift over patterns with dehydrated raspberry dust to make these treats truly a
Shape away, shape away: Using cookie cutters or silicon molds, you can pretty much shape the bliss bombs into any style you wish.
Pro tip: It helps if you add the mixture and then freeze it before coating it in the chocolate.
Raspberry chia & chocolate mousse bliss bombs
Ingredients
Raspberry chia jam
- 3 cups frozen raspberries
- 2 tbsps maple syrup
- 3 tbsps chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Chocolate mousse
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1/2 cup cacao butter (melted the same as chocolate)
- 4 tbsps agave (coconut sugar will work too)
- 2 tbsp cacao
Chocolate coating
- 1 1/3 cups vegan chocolate (dark or semi-sweet (more as needed))
- 2 tsps coconut oil (for melting (optional))
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Make sure to soak the cashews overnight (or at least a few hours) with double the amount of water than the amount of cashews. They will expand and soften!
For the raspberry jam:
- Add the frozen raspberries and maple syrup to a small saucepan over medium heat. Let the raspberries defrost and start to fall apart in the saucepan, stirring frequently. Once thawed (about 5 minutes), mash them with whatever implement you prefer (potato masher or fork)
- Stir in the chia seeds and vanilla essence. Cover and let simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the chia seeds have absorbed the liquid. Stir consistently every few minutes to prevent burning. Remove from heat once the jam has thickened. Important: Let the jam chill completely before using.
For the chocolate mousse:
- Put soaked cashews, cacao, coconut oil and agave in a high speed blender or thermomix and blend until silky silky smooth.
For the assembly:
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a bayonette or on low for 15 seconds in the microwave.
- Shape a piece of mousse into a disk on some baking paper, about 5mm thick, spread on a layer of raspberry jam on the disc
- Using your fingers delicately or a pair of tongs to plunge the jam covered disk into the melted chocolate. Leave flat side down to cool on a rack.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This recipe is super easy to batch create and freeze for a rainy day. You can make the whole treat and freeze as is, or you can freeze the disks of mousse and jam ready for coating on the day you want to serve them.
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Looking for more decadent recipe inspiration? Why not try these:
Until next time. Keep following, liking, sharing, commenting and cooking, and may your every spoonful be tastier than the last!
