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Extra Creamy Raw Chocolate Coffee Smoothie

thick, luscious and extra creamy - made with no added sugar, just the natural sweetness of dates and figs.

thick, luscious and extra creamy - made with no added sugar, just the natural sweetness of dates and figs.

It’s recipe Tribute Tuesday at Enjoy Tribute! I’ll be sharing a new recipe every Tuesday from now on so come back every Tuesday for yummy Tribute Tuesday goodness. This week I’m sharing an extra creamy raw chocolate coffee smoothie. It is thick, luscious and extra creamy – made with no added sugar, just the natural sweetness of dates and figs.

This recipe was inspired after the “I am Lusciously Awake” mocha smoothie served at Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley. I was sad to find the cafe closed at the end of last year. This place was close to my heart, a little piece of clichéd hippie heaven during my vegan years. Almost broke and sometimes stifling tears I’d pay for the $15 veggie rice bowl and dragged everyone I knew there. I found refuge behind their brick walls and inspirational question pamphlets (albeit with empty pockets). When I grew up I wanted to be like Cafe Gratitude.

Cafe Gratitude, for your foods and shelter during those beautiful years, and despite the 20 min+ parking situation, I am grateful.

thick, luscious and extra creamy - made with no added sugar, just the natural sweetness of dates and figs.

During the years I lived vegan in San Francisco, in a bit of a desperate attempt not to pay for overpriced nut milks and vegan shakes – I perfected nut shakes and smoothies from scratch. None of that cheesecloth thing where you make a whole mess of the kitchen either. Who has time for that. Instead, I just don’t strain the nut milk. Leaving the nuts in gets the added bonus of extra creaminess, you just need to perfect the water to nut ratio and that sweet spot before you blend too long and your shake is a hot soup instead. For this recipe you’ll be well guided though! And with video to boot.

I love using dates in shake recipes. They add slower release energy sweetness and of course have a ton of nutrients compared to (none in) sugar. More than just the health talk, they add creaminess and a caramel touch to the desserts. But you’ll need a big power blender to handle them (such as a Vitamix).

This extra creamy raw chocolate coffee smoothie will rock your world. And I say extra creamy because my version is definitely thicker than Cafe Gratitude’s – but you’re welcome to add more ice at the end to tone it down. I like leaving the room for “mistake” in case I want to make it colder so my base recipe is always to aim for thickness and fix after.

Make cold-brewed coffee the night before. It’s just water and ground coffee. Overnight. That’s all. No need to buy fancy overpriced stuff from the fridge section. (see my note at the end of recipe for coffee to water ratio).

All in all, shouldn’t take you longer than 3 min to make this recipe. No chopping required. Just let your power blender handle everything:) Ideal to accompany a full breakfast or as a treat if you need a pick-me-up!

Extra Creamy Raw Chocolate Coffee Smoothie
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: Raw
Serves: 2 servings
Ingredients
  • 10 brazil nuts
  • 6 dried figs, soaked for 2 hours
  • ½ cup cold brewed coffee
  • 4 medjool dates, pitted (add more for sweeter)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons raw cacao powder, more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • a pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Blend brazil nuts with 1 cup filtered water on high in a power blender for about 15 seconds or until smooth.
  2. Add in soaked figs, dates and a pinch of salt and blend on high again until smooth. Be careful not to blend too long or the friction from the blender will create heat.
  3. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Try to pour the coffee along the edges of the blender to get some of the residue stuck on the walls of the blender to fall down. Add in a 4-5 ice cubs and blend again until everything is fully incorporated.
Notes
To soak figs, just place them in a bowl and cover with filtered water. Let soak for 2 hours then drain and discard water.
To make your own cold-brewed coffee (a much cheaper alternative!), coarsely grind coffee beans. In a bowl or jar combine about 1 cup coarsely ground coffee beans and 4 cups cold, filtered water. Cover and let sit overnight for 12 hours. Filter with a strainer or cheesecloth and voila! You can store it in a glass container in your fridge for a week.

How to make Extra Creamy Raw Chocolate Coffee Smoothie in a 50 second video

And now, for a little behind-the-scenes action…

extra creamy raw chocolate coffee smoothie behind the scenes

I sure made a mess during the photo shoot and filming of the video. (various times over actually – I had FOUR blue napkins to trash and I still had to hand wash and dry them a couple of times just to dirty them again). What can I say – it’s been a little bit of a journey learning to video shoot. Sometimes I’ll have to re-shoot. Sometimes various times. At least I was never short of delicious raw coffee shakes – or of a dude happy to drink them up!

Hi! Thanks for reading! I’m a certified nutritionist exploring the local & sustainable foods scenes in The Woodlands and Houston! Keep in touch and follow me! As of 2017 my sister and I just opened an outdoor dessert café – check it out! I couldn’t be more excited!

4 comments

  1. This looks delicious, Natalia, and I kind of can’t wait to give it a try. Sounds like a nutritious way to kick start my morning!

  2. It’s just starting to warm up in the UK and I’ve been considering getting my cold brew coffee maker out again and wondering what to do with the coffee (other than just drink it). Brilliant idea!

    • Spring hit so hard in Texas it’s difficult to imagine anything but heat! I think you’ll love this use for cold-brew coffee – so thick and creamy!

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