Chocolate Date Truffles

These creamy, dark chocolate truffles are a variation of the raw coconut macaroons I made a few months ago.  Vegan, raw, and rich in iron.  They practically melt in your mouth.  If you’re like me and have an insatiable sweet tooth but are trying to avoid sugar, these are a wonderful treat.

If you don’t have any dates on hand, you can just add 2/3 c. cocoa powder to the original coconut macaroon recipe for a similar effect.  And if you’re wondering, why ruin a good truffle with dates, trust me– you don’t really taste the dates in the end product– they blend in and add sweetness and texture (and fiber, iron, vitamins, anti-oxidants, etc.).  They’re a good way to sweeten things without added sugar.

Ingredients

1 c. dates (read the ingredients– there should be no added sugar.  You could also substitute dried cherries, but you will need to add more agave nectar or honey to make up for the lost sweetness of the dates)

1/2 c. coconut oil, melted (This stuff is way too expensive at the grocery– I buy it in bulk on Amazon– still a little pricey but worth it.  Neither of us have been sick since I’ve been cooking with it.)

1/4 c. water

1 t. vanilla

1/2 unswt. coconut flakes

2/3 c. unswt. cocoa powder (plus 1/8 cup reserved for dusting, optional)

1/3 c. almond meal (optional)

1/2 tsp. salt

(optional) 1/8 c. agave nectar or raw honey (You may omit this if you don’t mind a very, very dark chocolate taste!)

1. Pulse coconut flakes in the food processor or blender a few times until they are in tiny pieces (but don’t pulverize into a flour!).  Add dates, coconut oil, water, and vanilla to the food processor or blender (or you can just chop the dates into tiny pieces, if you don’t have a food processor, but the finished product will be more lumpy) until fairly mixture has been achieved.

2.  You can add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor, or turn the date mixture into a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients by hand. I ended up kneading the mixture by hand to get everything incorporated.  It doesn’t look very pretty at this stage, but keep going!

3. Form into small balls using the palms of your hands,  and then roll the balls in cocoa powder until coated.  (You could also press the mixture into a parchment paper lined pan and cut these into the shape of brownies.)  Makes about 40 small balls.

Also, not food related but wow.  Just wow. “This car….”

Amazing.