Photo Credit & Recipe Inspiration: Green Kitchen Stories
I recently spoke at an event with the headline “All About Balance”, it was a couples night out event, where we discussed balancing stress, eating right, taking care of yourself, while still making room for those indulgences. Naturally, I had to showcase a dessert that was as equally balanced as it was delicious. This torte has a decadent hazelnut crust, uber rich chocolate filling, and notes of coffee. The balance part? Black beans for the filling and a high quality organic chocolate, minimun of 70%.
Mocha & Black Bean Hazelnut Torte
Serves 8-10
Crust:
2 cups hazelnut
20 dates, soaked, pitted and peeled
1/3 cup cacao powder
2 T. grass fed butter, melted or coconut oil melted
couple pinches sea salt
Filling:
3 cups cooked black beans
10 dates, pitted and peeled
3 T. grass fed butter, melted or coconut oil melted
1/2 cup Bulletproof coffee (or your favorite organic brand)
2/3 cup almond milk
7 oz. organic dark chocolate (70%)
Toppings:
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
4 oz. melted dark organic chocolate (70%)
Directions:
Start by making the crust. Place hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse a few times until they have a pebbled texture. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until everything is combined. Line the bottom of a spring pan with parchment paper and pour the date and hazelenut mixture into it. Use your hands to firmly press down the mixture evenly. Place the spring pan in the freezer and continue on with the filling.
Add beans, dates, melted butter, and coffee to the food processor and pulse on high speed for about a minute. Place a small sauce pan on low/medium heat. Add the milk. Break up the chocolate into smaller pieces and add to the milk. Use a spatula to stir around and take the sauce pan off the heat just as the chocolate starts melting. Keep on stirring until you have a smooth and thick chocolate mixture. Add the melted chocolate to the food processor and mix until you have a smooth chocolate filling. Pour the filling into the spring pan on top of the crust and place it back in the freezer until 30 minutes before serving.
Before serving, drizzle additional melted dark chocolate over the top and finish with hazelnuts.
