Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Holiday time in our home means splurging on outrageous desserts, vegan sweets, cookies, cakes, pies, and homemade breads. One of my family’s favorite desserts they adore this time of the year is Chocolate Fondue. They fight over dipping fresh strawberries, bananas, pineapples, marshmallow Santa Clauses, and pieces of vegan sweet bread into the rich dark chocolate fondue. I add a few bowls of finely chopped walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts on the side to roll their dipped chocolaty desert into.

Dark chocolate has been declared a heart healthy food because of the flavonoids it retains. When I first heard about flavonoids I had no idea what they were or how important they were to our health. Did you know the flavonoid nutrient family has over 6,000 unique flavonoids and is the largest nutrient family known to scientists? Furthermore, flavonoids are found in plants and have nutrient richness that benefits our health. When you eat plant foods you receive more flavonoids than eating animal foods. Therefore, vegetables and fruits are especially good for our health because they are nutrient-rich in phytonutrient. This is another reason being a vegan is so healthy for us.

Anyhow, nobody can resist a hot pot of chocolate fondue sitting on the table surrounded by fresh fruits, marshmallows, homemade vegan sweet bread, and mini pretzels. My youngest son dips his potato chips into the chocolate fondue. For some reason, one of my daughters enjoys dipping her pineapple chunks into the chocolate fondue and crushing up potato chips on top.

No matter how you look at it dark, rich chocolate fondue during the holidays is a vegan delight. Try one of my favorite vegan fondue recipes this holiday season. Give your family a healthy dessert this holiday.

Dark Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:

12 Ounces Premium dark chocolate, chopped

¾ cup non-dairy whipping cream

2 Teaspoons Kahlua liqueur

Directions:

Place non-dairy whipping cream in a saucepan and heat over low flame until it is warm. Don’t allow the whipping cream to boil. Slowly add the dark chocolate to the whipping cream, stir continuously. Stir until the mixture becomes smooth and the chocolate is mixed well with the whipping cream. Add liqueur and mix well. Remove from stove and pour into fondue pot

Serve fresh strawberries, sliced apples, sliced oranges, pineapple chunks, pretzel sticks, marshmallows, and potato chips.

Vegan Dark Mint Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:

½ Cup heavy coconut cream or any other vegan cream

2 Tablespoons Peppermint liqueur

8 Ounces Premium dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

In saucepan, heat the coconut cream or other vegan cream over low heat. Add the peppermint liqueur and mix well. Grate your chocolate or break the chocolate into small pieces and slowly add to the mixture, stir continuously. Continue stirring until the chocolate is melted. Pour chocolate fondue into your fondue pot.

Serve with pears, peach slices, vegan pound cake or vegan Angel food cake.

Image: flickr.com