I usually hesitate to use the word “superfood,” but here’s one that truly might qualify. Made with flavanol-rich cocoa powder and chia seeds, this rich and decadent-tasting dessert is a great source of fiber, omega-3s, and polyphenols. Oh yeah, it’s also vegan, gluten free, and 100% awesome.
Cocoa Chia Pudding
For each serving:
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T. chia seeds
1/2 banana, cut up
Whisk first 4 ingredients together until cocoa is well blended. Then, stir in bananas and pour into serving glasses or cups and refrigerate 1 hour to allow pudding to thicken. Stir once again before serving. Can be made two days ahead.
Can this be made with regular baking cocoa instead of Cocoa Via? How much?
Yes, you can use 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder but it will not be as high in cocoa flavanols.
Looks yummy. I checked out CocoaVia’s ingredient list and noticed that it’s processed with alkali (Dutch processed). I’d always read that this process normally destroys most of the flavanols present in cocoa, but of course CocoaVia claims their process results in higher flavanol levels. Do you think that’s more than an unverified marketing gimmick and we can depend on that claim? Right now I buy non-Dutch processed unsweetened coco powder and wondered if I should switch.
Jim,
According to the folks at CocoaVia, each stick pack contains 1,000 mg of a high flavanol cocoa extract, with is then blended with alkalized cocoa. So you get the best of both worlds: a high flavanol content with the smoother taste of the alkalized cocoa.
What is the source of the 15 gm of sugar? Are the nutrition facts for the cocoa or for the pudding?
The nutrition facts label is for the pudding. The maple syrup contributes 9 grams and the banana contributes 6g of sugar. If you are counting added sugars (as opposed to naturally occurring) that would be 9 g of added sugar.