Chocolate Mousse -- easy, healthy & dairy free

Creamy, chocolaty, easy to make, and oh-so good! It's healthy, too. I saw Ellie Krueger making this unusual recipe on a TV ad for Cancer Treatment Centers of America. I thought it seemed a little odd to use an avocado in chocolate mousse but we decided to give it a try. The verdict — I made this last week and we've been craving it ever since. I must admit that we've been trying to cut out desserts as we strive to lower our cholesterol levels. But even if we weren't in a dessert-deprived state, this is just good stuff! 

Other notes about this recipe . . .
The online version (in the Snacks/Desserts section) calls for 70% cacao baking chocolate but does not specify sweetened or unsweetened so I experimented. The first time I made it I used part of a bar of semi-sweet chocolate because that was what I had on hand. Afraid it might be too sweet, I cut the amount of agave sweeter in half. Today when I made it again, I used part of a bar of unsweetened chocolate but still started with half the amount of agave, tasted and added just a little more. In other words, I suggest you start with less sweetener no matter what type of chocolate you use, and add more to achieve your level of desired sweetness.

Also, I noticed the online recipe calls for agave in the ingredient list but the step-by-step directions tell you to add the maple syrup. Guess either will work but I used agave as I thought the taste of maple syrup might be too pronounced. However, knowing that agave is sweeter than sugar, I wondered what the swap out was for agave and maple syrup. This is what I discovered through a Google search :Agave, maple syrup and honey, 1 to 1 ratio for use (in other words, if it calls for 1/3 cup of agave, substitute 1/3 cup of maple syrup or 1/3 cup honey). However, replace each cup of corn syrup by using only 1/2 to 1/3 as much and increase other liquids by up to 1/3 cup. For each cup of granulated sugar, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

Healthy Chocolate Mousse  Makes 4 desserts (can easily be cut in half)
2 very ripe large avocados
4 oz. 70% cacao baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used the dark chocolate variety)
1/3 cup+ unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine sea

1. In a food processor, combine the avocados, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, 1/3 cup almond milk, agave, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
2. Puree until creamy. (I stopped and scraped down the sides a couple of times and added a little extra almond milk to get the creamy consistency I desired.)
3. Spoon mousse into 4 cups and chill for at least an hour. I topped our mousse with chopped walnuts for added flavor.