My sweet tooth has been off the charts lately! I want caramel brûlée lattes from Starbucks and even found myself buying ice cream sandwiches from Whole Foods the other day! Sugar cravings usually aren’t my jam, but for some reason the season gets me in the mood for total indulgence. Do you feel the same way? I can usually have a bite or two of something sweet before I am satisfied and ready to move on. I decided to create these date truffles because I wanted something that was sweet enough to feel decadent, but healthy enough to check the guilt at the door.
I was first introduced to dates while spending the new year in Paris. The hotel we were staying at placed fresh dates at the entrance of the fitness center. They are a great pre workout because their natural sugar provides the perfect burst of energy i.e. carbs in the form of simple sugars to power you through your workout. Dates are chock full of important vitamins like B1, 2, and 5 as well as vitamin a1 and c. Important minerals like manganese, selenium, copper and magnesium help keep our bones strong. The fiber in dates keep our digestive tracts on the up and up. Dates have tons of health benefits and work extremely well in sweet and savory dishes. I love using them in chicken dishes with curry, stuffing them with goat cheese or making these truffles! This dessert would be the perfect addition to any holiday table big or small! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Truffles:
- 12 Soft Dates (If they are dry and not soft soak dates in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Rinse and squeeze out excess water)
- 1/2 Nuts of Any Kind (I used 1/4 Cashew and 1/4 Pecans)
- 2 Tbs Coconut Oil
- 1 Tbsp Water
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
- Optional:
- 2 Tbsp. Chia Seeds
- 1/4 C Coconut Flakes
- Coating:
- Chopped nuts
- Cinnamon
- Raw Cacao Powder
- Coconut
Instructions
- Add nuts to food processor and process to chunky not smooth.
- Add dates, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt and coconut oil. Process until smooth. Mixture should we well combined and the mixture should be sticky. If it is not add a little bit of water and process until paste can be easily rolled into balls.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes and prepare toppings.
- Remove from refrigerator and roll into one inch balls.
- Roll dates in toppings of your choice.
