Chocolate Mousse Coconut Shellies

So, it became Chocolate Mousse Coconut Shellies - 

An amazingly delicious, raw food, chocolate dessert.

Easy right?

I greatly hesitated to post this recipe, as I am tremendously embarrassed and mortified by the original photo quality following a few mouthwatering bites of these divine dessert “shellies.” I also greatly struggled with developing a name for these sweeties: Mousse Mounded Coconut Cups; Chocolate Filled Coconut Tarts; Avocado Ganache Greatness; and Chocolate Coconut Skins.  Yeesh.  Nothing sounded even close to appealing or appetizing for that matter. Certainly, none of the mentioned descriptions sounded cute or catchy either.

Additionally, I had no plan for these treats. They developed simply out of a need to clear the clutter in the freezer and free up some cupboard space.
Yet, because they turned out so fantastically delicious, I felt compelled to share – hoping for an imaginative audience – and doing my best to create a photographic description of the end result. Thus, as only the individual recipe elements remained photo-worthy, simply imagine muffin-sized shells of coconut honey crusts filled with a deliciously rich whipped chocolate mousse mound – topped with a bright red raspberry and a sprig of mint for color, of course!

Chocolate Mousse Coconut Shellies

Coconut Shell Crust:
1/2 cup blanched almond meal (Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal)
1 cup raw, flaked coconut
1 Tbs. raw honey 
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process for a minute or so.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Process until everything is incorporated. Remove from the bowl and press into the bottom and sides of a plastic wrap-lined muffin tin (about 6 muffins) to form crust shells. Place in the freezer while you make the filling.

 

Mousse Filling:
2 ripe avocados
4 pitted dates, soaked and softened in water and then drained
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
(water to thin, as needed)

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and whir until smooth – using the “jamming” tool to mix and fully incorporate. Add water by the teaspoon full, ONLY if necessary. This mousse should be thick and rich.

Remove chilled coconut shells from the freezer, remove them from the muffin tin and plastic, and fill them with mounds of mousse.  
Top each mound with a fresh raspberry and a sprig of mint for sheer beauty. 

 

Chill until ready to serve.