This is probably my favourite dessert recipe.
These date nut truffles just as good, if not better than chocolate truffles, and they are made with whole food plant based ingredients.
I still caution those who are a weight-loss journey that these are calorie dense, and so they are a treat for special occasions. Sticking with 1 or 2 make them a treat that won’t derail any weight-loss efforts. And since these are quite rich, you will find that you are satisfied with having just 1 or 2.
These make for a beautiful dessert presentation. I promise that your guests will be impressed.
This batch you see here in the photo were made together with my Freedom Weight-loss Monday night group of beautiful ladies. We rolled them in flaked coconut, cocoa powder, and chia seeds.
This batch yields about 4 dozen mini truffle balls.
If that’s too much for you, you can half the recipe.
3 cups Baking dates, plus water for soaking
¼ cup cocoa powder
¾ cup ground nuts – hazelnuts, almonds, or walnuts
½ cup nuts
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
½ tsp sea salt
For rolling:
Ground nuts
Ground pumpkin seeds or pistachio – to give green colour
Shredded coconut
Cocoa powder
Chia seeds
Sesame seeds
Soak dates in hot water for at least half an hour or overnight.
Drain dates well*. If you don’t drain them well, your date nut mixture may be too loose for rolling. If you have this problem, you can either add some more nuts and/or put in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
Place drained dates and other ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, and blend until it is a thick smooth paste.
Form 1” balls and roll in: ground nuts, ground pumpkin seeds or pistachios, shredded coconut, cocoa powder, chia seeds, sesame seeds
Place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze.
Once frozen you can remove them and store them in an airtight container in the freezer.
They are best served when frozen or slightly thawed.
* I like to save the water the dates soaked it and then use for other recipes. It can be used instead of water or broth for water-sauteeing, or used instead of a water in a smoothie.