"Magic Shell" Mango

Ever tried the ice cream topping called "Magic Shell"? It's a chocolate sauce that hardens upon contact with frosty cold ice cream to make a shell. Fun! But bad. Two tablespoons of the commercial version of Magic Shell, made by Smuckers, feature almost as much sugar as half a can of Coke. Blech. Also depending on which flavor you choose, you could be getting hydrogenated oil, bleached flour and even the infamous red #40. Double blech.

At the core of the product is one good, pure ingredient that's responsible for its unique hardening properties: coconut oil. This stuff is a health food superstar. Cold pressed, nonhydrogenated coconut oil is an antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal food. Nutrition science continues to unearth the surprising benefits of this medium-chain saturated fat in areas of heart health, diabetes and cancer. (Click here for links to abstracts of some of these peer-reviewed studies).

But enough of my health-conscious prattling! Coconut oil tastes tropical, buttery and all-around decadent. Mixed with dark chocolate and drizzled over cold ripe mango slices, it creates that irresistible shell that begs for a spoon to crack through it. And mango is such a sweet fruit that the shell requires zero added sugar to make this a perfectly rich and indulgent dessert. Try it. TRY IT. Just trust me on this one.

3-Ingredient Magic Shell Mango
Total Kitchen Time: 5 minutes. Serves 1.

1 ripe mango, well-chilled
2 Tbls. unrefined coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp. raw cacao or regular cocoa powder

Slice mango in strips or chunks.

If the coconut oil is solid, nuke it for a few seconds until just liquified, but not warm.

Whisk together coconut oil and cacao, then drizzle over cold sliced mango and enjoy!