Grandma’s Prize-Winning Chocolate Mousse Recipe — “Hide From Helen”

Grandma didn’t just cook for family — she cooked to win. Every summer, our little town hosted a county fair cooking contest, and every year Helen from church took second place. Every year.

The one time Grandma won first place, the recipe card had been tucked inside her old romance novel, Hearts on the Prairie. She had underlined whole paragraphs of dramatic longing, but in the back of the book, right where the lovers reunited under the setting sun, was the recipe:

“Avocado Chocolate Mousse — Hide From Helen.”

The brilliance of it was in the trick. Everyone expected pies, cakes, trifles. But Grandma? She turned a pile of ripe avocados into the silkiest, richest chocolate mousse anyone had ever tasted. Judges raved. Helen fumed. And Grandma never let her live it down.

Years later, when I found the recipe, I thought it was too strange to be true. Avocados in dessert? Surely it would taste like guacamole gone rogue. But no — blended with cocoa, maple syrup, and a little vanilla, the avocado vanished, leaving only a decadently smooth mousse that melted across the tongue.

Naturally, I ate too much of it in one sitting. Chocolate tends to whisper, “just one more bite,” and avocado mousse whispers seductively.

I finally understood why Grandma always kept it in a romance novel. The recipe itself was a love affair.

So here it is, Grandma’s legendary prize-winner. Just don’t tell Helen.

Grandma’s Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados (peeled, pitted)

• ½ cup cocoa powder

• ½ cup maple syrup (or honey)

• ½ cup coconut milk (or regular milk)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Scoop avocado flesh into a blender or food processor.

2. Add cocoa powder, syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt.

3. Blend until silky smooth — stop and scrape down sides if needed.

4. Chill at least 1 hour before serving (it thickens beautifully).

5. Garnish with berries, shaved chocolate, or whipped cream.

💘 Grandma’s note: Winning isn’t everything… unless Helen is competing.