Guilty admission – this chocolate spread recipe is a happy mistake. I have been trying to transition away from refined sugar as much as possible, but still like a sweet dessert now and then. Many of the dessert recipes I have found either contain sugar in some form, or they really don’t taste that sweet.

I started with the intent to make some gluten free, no bake brownies that were also refined sugar free. The batter looked promising, but my brownies didn’t firm up the way I had hoped, and couldn’t really be considered “bars”. The happy part? The mix was delicious! Really chocolaty and sweet.

It took me a little while to realize that my mix reminded me of those chocolate hazelnut spreads you can buy. My kids really like those spreads, but I’d be willing to bet that my recipe – with only six ingredients and getting its sweetness from fruit – is probably a bit healthier. And honestly, I don’t feel like I’m giving up anything to eat a little healthier. This is really good! So with a little serendipity, my Cherry Almond Chocolate Spread was born!

You could omit the chopped almonds and chia seeds from this recipe if you would like, and your spread will be a bit smoother than mine. I personally like the contrast in textures and the nice crunch. This goes really well with strawberries, bananas, and dried fruit. You could even use it as a frosting if you wanted too.

Cherry Almond Chocolate Spread Recipe

1 cup pitted dried dates, chopped

2/3 cups frozen cherries, thawed

2 TBL cocoa powder

1/4 cup smooth almond butter

2 1/2 TBL chia seeds (optional)

1/4 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Place the first 5 ingredients in a food processor, and process until very smooth

Stir in the chopped almonds as desired

Enjoy your Cherry Almond Chocolate spread! I love this on top of crackers, or served with fresh fruit