Welcome to another edition of my obsession known as what-can-Justine-make-with-cottage-cheese-that-doesn’t-make-her-feel-like-she’s-on-a-diet?
Okay, so that’s a bit too much of a mouthful, even for me.
How about, here’s a recipe for a thick, creamy chocolate fruit dip that is so good, you’ll want to dunk everything you can get your hands on in it – fruit…cookies…spoons…fruit…cooki…oops, sorry, got distracted there!
Not only is this chocolate fruit dip rich, creamy and so ridiculously thick I reckon it could double up as a frosting, it also contains only three ingredients (two if you don’t have a particularly sweet tooth) all of which are healthy, feel good things that won’t weigh you down or induce a sugar coma!
I’ve always loved the idea of adding more fruit to my daily diet, but for some reason, I’ve been notoriously bad at actually following through (huh, story of my life…)
Recently, while brainstorming sneaky ways to increase my fruit intake, I came up with what I thought was a genius idea…
Fruit + chocolate!
I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate?
Yeah, yeah, I know there are people out there who don’t – somehow I don’t think they would have clicked on this recipe though…
I didn’t want to simply eat a square (or two…) of chocolate as a reward – that just seemed kinda boring. I needed something more…something creamy and tasty and just, more…
The answer of course, was dip! I think it might be the answer to most questions in life actually…
I absolutely love dip. I could probably live off of savoury ones – give me a handful (okay, several handfuls…) of tortilla chips, a pile of fresh, crunchy vegetables (mmm, baby corn and sugar snaps…) and a creamy, cheesy dip – and I’ll happily call it dinner!
My new-found discovery of the versatility and creamy texture of cottage cheese when blitzed smooth in a food processor, gave me the perfect opportunity to create a healthy, good-for-you fruit dip that you can eat without guilt!
No oven required, it takes minutes to make – believe me, the ten minutes stated as prep time is generous – if you don’t have to wrestle the food processor from the back of the cupboard like me, you could probably shave at least another three minutes off!
A good, dark chocolate (cocoa percentage of 70 and above) is not only delicious (in moderation of course!) but is also a great source of antioxidants, flavanols, vitamins and nutrients.
Melted, then blended with silky smooth cottage cheese, it magically transforms into a rich, thick, creamy dip. I actually prefer the tangy cheesecake-like taste of the dip as is – it contrasts nicely with the sweet, ripe fruit – but if you like a little extra sweetness, drizzle in some maple syrup to taste, then refrigerate until ready to serve (it thickens even more as it chills!)
The only thing left is to ensure you have plenty of freshly sliced fruit on hand, to go a scoopin’ with – I love a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, cherries, grapes and mandarin (see – I’m getting my fruit on big time!)
And if you fancy trying the brandy snap cigars you can see in some of the pictures? This is the recipe I followed – although sadly without the brandy – I couldn’t justify buying an entire bottle when the recipe required one teaspoon!
Need a quick and easy summertime dessert? A last minute pot-luck dish? Just want to make a plateful of fresh fruit even more appealing? Try this rich and creamy chocolate fruit dip – surprisingly healthy and only three ingredients – just make sure you buy enough fruit!
3-INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE FRUIT DIP
Ingredients
- 2 cups (420g) cottage cheese
- 1 cup (150g) dark (70%) chocolate
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or to taste
- To serve: Fresh fruit / cookies / spoons...
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend the cottage cheese until silky smooth, scraping down the sides when necessary.
- Keep a couple of squares of chocolate aside to use as a garnish. Melt the rest of the chocolate gently - either in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (don't allow the water to touch the bottom of the bowl) or blitz for a few seconds at a time on high in the microwave, stirring between each session.
- Allow the melted chocolate to cool a little then add to the smooth cottage cheese and blend well. Add maple syrup to taste then transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Grate the remaining chocolate over the dip to garnish, then serve with fresh fruit and cookies (I added some brandy snap cigars, see recipe link above!)
