I absolutely love dates – they are such a delicious natural sweetener. Dates can add such great texture, while also providing some nutritional value: iron, potassium, and antioxidants to name a few [a bonus that you wouldn’t find in sugar or artificial sweeteners]. These chocolate date truffles are delish, and a real sweet tooth satisfier!
There are so many variations of date balls/date truffles that you can make… I’ve made a quick list with some ideas and helpful tips to think about when testing out new date ball recipes!
- The base and “glue” of your date balls should be the dates themselves
- Add in nut butter for extra flavor, protein, and creaminess [peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, Nutella- if you’re feeling crazy]
- Looking for added fiber? Throw in some oats or almond flour.
- Almonds, hazelnuts, cashews … all great things to throw in to provide some nice texture
- Think about what you already have in your spice cabinet … cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, cocoa powder
- Dried fruits are a great way to introduce new flavors – dried apple rings, dried mango, shredded coconut
Dates can be a bit pricey, depending where you purchase them. Costco and Amazon both have some great deals on pitted dates. It’s worth getting a decent supply of these dates, cause trust me – you’ll want to make more than one batch of these! đŸ˜‰
Once you’ve combined the ingredients in the food processor, you should be able to easily press the mixture together between your fingers to form a “dough,” like you see in the photo above.
Chocolate Date Truffles
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup pitted dates (about 35 dates)
- 1/3 cup gluten free oats
- 2 tbsp creamy almond butter
- 1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 generous pinch of salt
Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/8 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- In a food processor, place all ingredients except the chocolate chips and the chocolate drizzle ingredients.
- Using a microwavable bowl, melt 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips – microwaving in about 30 second intervals, until completely melted.
- Pour your melted chocolate into the food processor and begin to process until all ingredients, including the dates, are broken down and well-incorporated. You should be able to press together the “dough” with your fingers to easily form a ball.
- Next, line a baking sheet with wax paper. You can make whatever size truffles you wish – I made mine using a tablespoon, which forms a nice sized truffle. *If you make these truffles 1 tablespoon each, this dough should make about 18 truffles. Scoop with whatever tool you choose, then form into balls and place on the wax paper.
- To make your chocolate drizzle, simply place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a bowl and melt in the microwave.
- Mix together your melted chocolate until it’s reached a smooth and somewhat thin consistency, then use your spoon or a knife to drizzle the chocolate over the truffles.
- Place your truffles in your fridge to allow the chocolate to harden. Once the truffles have set and the chocolate has hardened, you can consolidate your truffles into tupperware or freezer bags. Store the truffles in the fridge or freezer.