Need a simple easy treat to give away this holiday? How about some delicious healthy fudge that is incredibly easy to assemble? I adapted this recipe from Kimi’s edition of healthy fudge. I don’t use coconut sugar, so I had to do some experimenting to use with honey. I used raw honey to sweeten and it is a delicious combination of three simple ingredients -cocoa powder, coconut oil, and honey! Whip it up in your blender and solidify in the fridge, and you are set! This is a great little nutritious gift idea for him or her (especially the guys!) and also an very easy dessert for guests. I have served it several times over the last few months and always received great reviews.
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup coconut oil, divided (virgin unrefined coconut oil is recommended for its nutritional value), palm oil or butter
3/4 cup honey (raw honey is recommended again for its nutritional value)
Gently melt half of the coconut oil in a small saucepan. Allow too cool slightly. Place the remaining 1/2 cup solid coconut oil in your blender with the cocoa and honey. Carefully add the melted coconut oil and pulse a few times till smooth. Make sure not to over blend or else it can seperate. Line a bread pan with a layer of parchment paper or saran wrap. Carefully pour the fudge into the pan. Place in your refrigerator until solid, about 1 hour. Gently remove from pan and cut into squares. Makes about 12-15 squares. Store in refrigerator till ready to serve.
Note: I found that if I melted all the coconut oil, the final result was a very stretchy, wet fudge. For the more solid fudge like texture, I melt half of the oil, just enough so that it blends together well, and this seems to work perfectly.
thanks for that recipe! I added some shredded coconut for the ones who like texture.
Sounds wonderful and i will make it this week with coconut oil! PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT USE PALM OIL
http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/
Please consider removing it from the recipe all together
I am so excited to make this, however, I am concerned about the high phytate levels in cocoa. What do you think?
Made it and it’s fantadtic. A little peanut on top was like a little piece of Heaven.
Just curious, have you tried making other flavors? Using PB2 to make peanut butter fudge, or add mint extract for a chocolate mint??
Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to try it.
I wanted to comment that the writing on your blog is almost impossible to read because there isn’t enough contrast between the brown background and font color. I actually have to highlight the text to read it. Maybe a lighter background color or change the font to white? Thank you!
Can’t wait to try this!! I’m going to try the peanut butter add-in as another commenter mentioned. I am VERY excited about this.
i mixed all 3 ingredients (2 tablespoons of each) then put in microwave 12secs , stirred more and poured into soft flexible ice tray. Put in freezer and it was done in 25 mins. loved it.
I didn’t melt so I avoided all the problems and mess….I just mixed all the ingredients at room temperature with a hand mixer (after folding in the cocoa so it didn’t fly everywhere) and refrigerated. It was fabulous!
Wonder what the calorie count per square is…????
Very good fudge!!! Found this recipe tonight and made it. The family loved it. Easy and healthier than the usual version. thanks
Sounds yummy, easy, and healthy!
2 questions:
Can BLACK WALNUTS be used in this fudge recipe? I don’t know if the flavors will compete or compliment.
Also, can this finished fudge be sent through the mail for a Valentine’s gift, or will it melt in route?
You are welcome to chop up some nuts to be used in the recipe. I would not recommend sending it through the mail as it is very melt-able. It needs to be refrigerated at all times.
Thanks so much for this recipe!! I’ve found I like this even better than “regular” fudge! I made this last Christmas & again this Christmas and gave some to a friend who subsequently asked me for the recipe. This last time I made it with only 2/3 cup honey & it was still plenty sweet.
This is definitely a keeper!
Help! The fudge batter separated. What now?
I’ve noticed this happens when your oil is too hot. It will still solidify in the fridge but will have more of a layered look.
That happened to me as well and it seems like two different textures as well. Do you think it could be re-heated some to mix back together? Do you think it’s weird to still try to give it as a gift?
Thank you very much for this recipe! I found it almost a year ago when we were on the GAPS diet and Valentines was approaching. My kids wanted some candies like usual, and this satisfied all of us! I made a trial batch in January, and on Valentines we used it for peanut butter cup candies (pour a bit into silicone muffin cups, let harden in fridge for a few minutes, cover with a dollop of peanut butter and more of the chocolate mixture, and set in fridge). They were SO delicious!!! Better than Reese’s, and those have been my favorite candy since early childhood. I can’t believe I can make better ones myself! For Easter we made this basic recipe but I poured it into cookie cutters in a pan and carefully set in the fridge. It worked beautifully, so the kids had large, shaped candies — if I’d had sticks to insert they could have been lolipops! We love it with coconut oil, but this time we’re out so I’m going to try butter for our Halloween candies.
Wow thanks this turned out great!…..I used half coconut oil and half butter. Satisfies that chocolate craving. I didn’t think it would be sweet enough but it’s perfect. Thanks!
I was wondering whether the palm oil mentioned was instead of the coconut oil?…. and if its the palm oil vegetable shortening?
It can be used as a substitute for coconut oil. You want an all natural palm oil as described here.
I love the simplicity of this recipe and I can’t wait to try it. A few years back I had heard of making fudge using pinto beans but when I looked it up all I could find was recipes that called for powdered sugar… here’s an example:
Bill’s Bean Fudge
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
1 2/3 cups mashed pinto beans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds powdered sugar
Melt together unsweetened baking cocoa and butter. Mix in thoroughly drained and mashed pinto beans, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
Place in a large, buttered, shallow baking pan with sides and chill until firm.
Makes 24 pieces
How could you adapt this?
Hi Lindsay,
This recipe looks great! I plan on making it today as a trial for a cookie exchange/holiday tea that I’ll be attending in early December. I have all the ingredients on hand and love that it’s so healthy/nutrient-dense. Thank you!
When you say “a bread pan,” do you mean a loaf pan? For the tea, I’d like to double or maybe even triple the recipe, so do you think it would work to line a lasagna size pyrex baking dish? Basically, how thick should the “batter” be over the surface of the dish?
Also, does this fudge recipe freeze well? It would be great to have on hand for a pregnancy treat/craving!
Last, have you ever tried making this into peppermint fudge by adding peppermint extract? I have some from Flavorganics.
I also wonder about adding a bit of cinnamon since cinnamon and chocolate is a great combination! I guess I could taste-test the “batter” since there are no eggs.
Yes, a loaf pan is the same thing. I would say to triple the recipe for a 13×9 inch pan. I would imagine you could freeze it. Haven’t tried that yet…it’s always gone so fast! Peppermint fudge would be a lovely idea!
I made this today and of course read the recipe wrong. I thought it said blend it a long time so it doesnt separate instead of blend it a little so it doesnt separate, so of course it definatly separated, but surprisingly it was still AMAZING!!! Love it, will definatly be making this again, and following the directions correctly next time
I'm trying to cut out sugar and am thrilled to find this recipe! Thanks!
I tried this recipe in my Cuisinart tonight and loved the results! These were so rich and yummy, I cut the pieces very small. I didn’t notice any coconut flavor (used EV coconut oil, raw honey and cocoa powder). It was a little expensive (used all organic ingredients), but worth it! (I had been surprised to read that conventional cocoa farming uses lots of pesticides, so it was worth buying organic to me). Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I am way too obsessed with this recipe! I made this many times and wanted to share what I do. Instead of parchment paper I use muffin tins lined with paper muffin cups. It makes 12 good sized chunks of fudge, I filled about 1/2″ in each tin. This works great when you don’t have parchment paper, and they’re easy to store by folding the muffin papers over and stacking them one on top of the other! I have actually been able to reuse the paper liners a couple times as well.
I have been experimenting with this recipe and found that melting a square of baking chocolate in with the coconut oil really gives it a much richer chocolatey flavor. Also, I noticed that with my higher quality coconut oil the texture was far better than when I made it with the cheap stuff.
Wow this was good!
I prefer using less sweetener in my recipes and was running low on honey so I reduced the honey to just under 1/2 cup. I also added 1/2 tsp of vanilla. It was extremely creamy, rich and delicious! Exactly the texture you would want out of fudge.
Thank you for creating this wonderful treat!
This looks amazingly yummy. I look forward to sharing it with others who are also health-conscious.
Hi Lindsay, just wanted to let you know that my son and I made this as a special V-Day treat for my husband, at it is the absolute BEST fudge we’ve ever eaten! Wonderful results, a definite new family favorite. thanks so much for the recipe…so nice to eat fudge and NOT feel guilty.
This looks so yummy! I can’t wait to try it!
awesome! By the way, I am SO excited for your family about your husband’s new job! God is good! Enjoy all the new benefit it brings!
Now that’s an interesting use for coconut oil. Thanks for sharing.
I just made this for a friend who has special diet needs, and she said it was “exquisite”! Thank you so much, Lindsay, for sharing your wonderful recipes. It was such a pleasure to make my friend a treat and bless her like that. I hope that you are making progress in your struggle with insomnia and are having a good rest. God bless you.
I just shared this with my facebook friends. Hope that was ok.
Can’t wait to try these with my GFCF son.
They came highly recommended. 
I made this for an ‘alternative’ cookie exchange (she can’t have white sugar) and while the flavor was good and it was smooth, it is so ridiculously soft…even after putting it in the freezer for a few hours, after 2 minutes at room temp, as soon as you touch it it just ‘melts’ under your fingers. I made a double batch with half butter and half coconut oil. I thought about rolling it into balls and dipping in chocolate to make truffles but I’m too lazy haha…so I think we’re going to melt down what’s left and use it as a ‘fondue.’
Oh… my… goodness! I just made the fudge and am in roll-your-eyes-back chocolate heaven! I should have made this while everyone was out of the house so I could eat it all with no one knowing. I just wanted to thank, thank, thank you for posting this. One of my children is on the autism spectrum and we’re slowly making the switch to a GFCFSF diet so this one is a DEFINITE winner!!!
I was wondering how you package this for gift giving?
I pick up those cute Christmas cookies tins in various shapes from my local Goodwill, line it with tissue paper and cover with the tin lid. So easy and cute!
Today I was thinking what could I make that the whole
family would enjoy? Fudge crossed my mind and then
I found your website. I’m a health counselor
and so appreciate your recipe. Can I add vanilla
extract? Thought that would be tasty.
Thanks.
Delicious. Luckily, my husband doesn’t like coconut, so this was all mine (and he happens to love peanut brittle, so I’ll be trying your other recent recipe soon, and that one will be all his!)
I used half cocoa and half carob… and this was the first time I used the carob and didn’t mind the flavor! The coconuttiness was sooo good. I also melted a little of this fudge into coffee, and that was okay. Not amazing, but worth trying if you run out of cream.
The last time I had fudge as when I was in primary school! It was always sold at out Christmas concerts and our teachers would get every student a little brown paper bag filled with different pieces. I think I might try to make some before Christmas. Thanks for sharing this!
Quick question…if you were to use butter, would you still melt half of it? I’m going to make a double batch with 1 cup coconut oil, and 1 cup butter…but not sure if I should just melt 1/2 cup of the coconut oil?? Thanks!
It really depends upon what your blender or food processor can handle. If it cannot mix it well without melting, then try melting a small portion until it mixes well.
I tried this and it was DELICIOUS! The coconut oil separated a lot…like someone else mentioned. Is there anything to do about it?
I added further instructions above. I think the key here is not to over blend it and make sure the melted coconut oil is cooled somewhat.
Would it be possible to use agave in place of the honey?
Sure, I just don’t normally recommend agave nectar (Read more here).
can you taste the coconut?
Somewhat…but it really blends in nicely with the cocoa. If you don’t like coconut, try it with butter or half and half.
Oh my gosh! Yet another wonderful Christmas goodie staple, but a healthy one!! Thank you for your creations! Can’t wait to try!
Thanks for your reply Lindsay, peanut brittles also look yum and a good prezzie idea.
I made this tonight and it was fabulous!! I agree with Tiffany’s hubby that it reminded me of Almond Joy and I will be trying her suggestions too. I am trying to find healthy treats to bake for my neighbors and this will be perfect!
wow, i can even share this one at the raw potluck if I use raw cacao powder….raw or not, I definitely want to try this one!
I tried it Kimi’s way and liked it. I used granulated palm sugar because it is low on the glycemic index (important for me with PCOS). It came out a bit grainy so I will have to experiment a little more to get the right texture but it tasted great. Thanks, Lindsay!
Thanks for this recipe!! Super easy and delicious! I was able to make it in my small food processor. Talk about “licking the bowl”! Yum!! : )
I think I need to make this like Tiffany (comment #16) did! I love Almond Joys and this would be a healthier version!
Thank you so much for posting these! I am so excited to enjoy some holiday treats without the garbage! Yeah!!
Oh, I’m excited to try this! I really enjoy chocolate, as does my husband.
We just tried your fudge recipe….YUM! I did have some of the coconut oil separate out, which I did not mind, since it was like another kind of candy, but it appearance wasn’t very nice. Any suggestions?
Also, when my husband tasted it, he commented that it reminded him of Almond Joy bars, so I took some shredded coconut, honey, and coconut oil and mixed it to a nice paste consistancy. I made a little spoon sized portion and put an almond on the top before I drizzled some of the fudge on it. This was delicious! I will be making more!
It looks delicious and easy to make. Healthy is a essential bonus.
This is a very nice simple recipe! Please consider submitting it for publication on the FreeCoconutRecipes.com website: http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/recipe_submission.cfm
We have a couple of other fudge recipes, but this one is a nice simple one and you have a nice picture. We too prefer honey as a sweetner. Most people don’t realize that to harvest coconut sugar you are sacrificing the flower on the coconut palm tree that would become a coconut. So a tree being used to harvest coconut sugar cannot produce coconuts – and the world’s supply of coconuts is fast diminishing as older trees are not being replanted due to years of bad press for coconut oil. So it is not a very “sustainable” product (coconut sugar).
Thank you, CoconutRecipes, for sharing that information about coconut sugar! Very good to know.
Neat-o! Thanks for sharing this simple recipe. Question: Would melting the honey instead of the oil create an even better consistency?
First off, heating the honey would destroy it’s nutritional value, so I would prefer not to do that. Secondly, the consistency is perfectly smooth with this recipe, so no need to worry about that!
May I ask why you don’t use coconut sugar?
Thanks…
I don’t use coconut sugar simply because I don’t have a source for it and I like to keep just a simple stock of sweeteners in my home. Honey and sucanat meet all my needs.
How does this fudge hold up at room temp? Does it get really soft?
It does start getting soft after sitting out for awhile. It will not fall apart on you but it will get soft to the touch. I think it depends upon the temperature too. Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees…so if your home is warmer than that, it will probably get soft quicker.
I make my fudge almost exactly the same! I tend to add more cocoa powder for an even richer taste.
Hi there
Thank you so much for all the resources on your website, I love it!!! And you are converting me slowly but sure into wholesome food…I feel better already and it’s such a positive exercise for me even if it takes a little longer.
I wondered do you have a substitute for the coconut oil, if you do would you be so kind to give the quantity of the substitute for this recipe, I know it wouldn’t be as healthy, but it’s so difficult and pricey for me to obtain at present
Liz
P.S I have two things soaking downstairs, I love it!
I would use butter in equal quantities.
Lindsay,
I’m feel that I’m being called to a transition in our lifestyle, and have found your blog to be an inspiration. I have a question about Coconut Oil. I bought refined to make some body products with, and I understand that it is not as nutritious, but can I cook with it? Is it consumable and food-grade, safe, etc? I’m a beginner! I purchased it through your link to Mountain Rose. I know the unrefined, virgin oil is better, but I just wanted to ask.
Mountain Rose Herbs recommends their refined version for cosmetic use only. I know others have used various brands of refined expeller pressed oils for eating, so I think it is up to you.
I bought a gallon each of refined and extra virgin coconut oil from MRH several months ago, and my refined gallon says for food or cosmetic purposes. I think the current catalog says the same. They may have changed the quality of the refined to serve both purposes. I agree it’s definitely not the same nutritional quality, but I don’t think it’s going to hurt you, especially if you want to experiment with a few recipes. If I know a recipe is really good, I will use the good stuff, while often using the refined if I’m just testing a recipe.
I’ve also found the original recipe to be rather wet and stretchy. I will definitely try making it this way; it looks much fluffier, like traditional fudge. Thanks!
This looks yummy and easy. I think that I will be making a trial run of it this weekend as a Christmas favor for my co-workers. Thanks!
That recipe looks so easy! A lot of fudge recipes I’ve found look complicated, but this one looks super simple. Definitely a plus for making fudge as gifts! Thanks for sharing!
What type of cocoa powder do you recommend? I’m headed to an amish bulk foods store this week, and I usually just get the cheap cocoa. I’m trying to transition our family to eating less food that’s higher quality, and enjoying it more.
I honestly usually just use a normal cocoa powder from the store or through Azure Standard.
Yummy! I’ve been wanting to use Kimi’s recipe for awhile, but have not found coconut palm sugar, and was nervous to try the honey. Is the honey taste strong, or does the cocoa cover it up sufficiently? I might as well try it. Fudge is one of my favorite treats over the holidays =)
It tastes great to us! No strong honey flavor.
Hi! This recipe looks great! I will be making it for my husband’s secretaries this year – they LOVE chocolate
). I’m just wondering if there is a reason you left out the vanilla that was in Kimi’s original recipe?
Thanks for sharing this!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t wait to try this out. I’ve had to avoid dairy products since my little one reacts to it, and finding decent chocolate has been difficult – fudge impossible! I’m so excited.
Wonderful! This could be some really good tasting alternative to chokolate.
Thank you for sharing…