Dark Chocolate & Avocado Pudding

I suspect today’s recipe is going to be a hard sell.

Avocado and dark chocolate pudding. Avocado. And. Chocolate. In a pudding. These two ingredients shouldn't work but they really do!

Before you click away, please wait just a minute. As unpromising as this sounds, this unusual combo makes probably the most delicious dessert I’ve eaten in months. And trust me, I've eaten lots.

Avocados are super versatile and can be used to create creamy smoothies, or can be substituted for butter or oil in baking. They also make great additions to sandwiches or burgers, and they can even be used to make brownies and more indulging desserts.

Last week I bought a couple of avocados and, as it happens, they got forgotten at the bottom of the fridge. 

I was planning to prepare chocolate mousse or chocolate fudge or some sort of chocolate something for the bank holiday weekend. 

When I found them a few days later they had to be eaten. Straight away. Then I thought... why not? If salt and vinegar crisps taste amazing dipped in sparkly lemonade, and popcorn are lush with cream cheese... why shouldn't I give these two a try?

I prepared the pudding under the skeptic look of my husband and two kids. Apparently there was no way they were going to eat THAT. 

But as I was mixing the ingredients I discovered that the combination of chocolate and avocado was just so deliciously smooth, rich, creamy and chocolatey that we almost ate it straight from the bowl. 

I really felt proud of myself. I thought, for one second, that I made the best and most revolutionary food discovery ever. Until I googled "chocolate and avocado" and I found like a million different recipes made out from these two ingredients. 

Literally millions. And I may want to try all of them. You are warned.

WHAT YOU NEED

400g Extra Dark Chocolate

150g Condensed Milk

3 Ripen Avocados

3tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

50g Icing Sugar

WHAT YOU DO

Break the chocolate into small chunks and place in deep bowl with the condensed milk and olive oil. Melt the ingredients gently in the microwave in 10-20 second bursts, stirring frequently.

Mash 2 avocados and add them to the mixture.

Sieve in the icing sugar and mix thoroughly until the sugar has dissolved. Beat the mixture with a spoon for a few minutes until it starts to thicken.

Decorate with avocado slices.

Chill in the fridge for 1 hour until set.

Serve chilled and enjoy!