Two of more than a dozen flavors of avocado fudge: Vegan Dark Chocolate Chili Peanut and Butterscotch Salted Caramel

While a military brat living on Camp Pendleton, I kicked off my high school career going to Fallbrook HS (go Warriors!). I took that 45-minute bus ride every day for a couple of years and got to know the streets of Fallbrook well. At least, certain streets. During a recent visit to Fallbrook’s Old Town, I realized I’d never explored the “Friendly Village” in full. So it caught me by surprise to spot a sign advertising “Fallbrook’s Famous Avocado Fudge.”

How could I miss something famous that involved the home of my alma mater, especially since it highlighted the county’s number-one edible crop? More importantly, how could I not know my favorite superfood could be used to make a dessert?

Apparently this is where he hangs out when Moe’s is closed.

So I stopped in to Retro Candy & Toys, a shop filled with colorful sugary treats ranging from Jelly Bellys to novelty soda pop, plus a life-sized homer Simpson wearing an ode to avocados in T-shirt form.

I asked a few questions at the shop’s glass counter, which featured a variety of avo-fudge flavors including dark chocolate rocky road, vanilla bean, and strawberry cream. The guy running the show wasn’t as sugary sweet as his wares, but he did reveal that the trick is taking a fudge recipe and replacing butter with Hass avocados.

At $3.50 apiece, I took home the Vegan Dark Chocolate Chili Peanut and Butterscotch Sea Salt Caramel. Since I don’t have the world’s biggest sweet tooth, I called in a couple of experts to help with the tasting: my niece and nephew.

Avocado and candy, two great tastes that only go together in Fallbrook.

We dug into the chili peanut first. The chocolate was certainly dark, as advertised, tasting quite like the recent generation of chocolate bars you find in specialty markets with labels advertising 72% cacao. Texture-wise, it hit close to fudge, though a little softer, with a hint of graininess compared to traditional fudge. It was tasty and nutty, but even my young nephew thought it could have handled more spice.

The salted caramel was another story. It tasty every bit the role of a caramel candy — almost exactly like Brach’s, which set the standard for such things for me as a child. My niece cited a toffee flavor, and we all admired the rich and creamy texture that had been missing from the vegan dark chocolate.

Most importantly, I got to be a cool uncle and represent my one-time not-quite home town. I don’t know how “famous” this stuff is, but I’m willing to spread the word. If you can get B vitamins, folate, potassium, and vitamin K in dessert form, why not?