Coconut Cacao Truffles with a Twist

There was a time when I ate sugary desserts with abandon, enjoyed every bite and never thought twice about it. But, there came a time when the sugar just made me feel jittery and unbalanced. Energized, yes, but not in the fun "Energizer bunny" way. It was more in like the "Tasmanian Devil" way. It somehow made me feel sad. That was when I started searching for other options.

I tried all sorts of "alternative" sweets. First were energy bars of all shapes, ingredients and sizes. They were tasty but were basically candy bars always left me wanting more. I hated that feeling. Next, I tried dark chocolate. It was tasty too and came in all sorts of flavor combinations, but it was too rich - for me - and made me thirsty.

I wanted to figure out a snack that was delicious, didn't spike my blood sugar and leave me in a crash, and that also had enough nutritional value to help me feel satisfied. And, this "truffle" is the sweet bite I came up with.

Ingredients

There are quite a few ingredients, but once you buy them the first time, everything comes together really fast. And, once you make it, you'll want to make it again, so the ingredients will become staples in your pantry.

• Raw almond flour: Raw almond flour is basically just ground almonds. It's gluten-free, low in carbs, high in prebiotic fiber, rich in monosaturaged fat, and Vitamin E. And, it's a low glycemic food that smells and tastes richer than flour ever will.
• Raw coconut flour: Like raw almond flour, raw coconut flour is gluten-free and has more fiber than wheat flour. Because of the fiber, it also has a low glycemic index meaning it takes more time to digest so doesn't spike your blood sugar. Oh, it also smells and tastes tropically amazing.
• Raw cacao powder: Cacao is the fruit of a small tree native to the Amazon basin that grows cacao, or cocoa, beans in their raw form before processing. Cocoa is usually a powder made from cacao that you bake with. It's flavor isn't as bitter as raw cacao, but it has more sugar. Raw cacao powder is made from raw cacao beans and nibs that are fermented, roasted, then milled into a powder. Cacao is full of flavonoids and antioxidants thought to have many health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and improving blood flow.  And, when it's combined with sweetening agents such as coconut nectar, it tastes deliciously fudgy.
• Dates: And, here's the twist! Truffles sound indulgent. Dates make these taste indulgent and replace a lot of the fat in traditional truffles. Dates are high in antioxidants and certain vitamins (vitamin C and B complex) and minerals (selenium, copper, potassium, and magnesium) And, like coconut and almond flour, are high in insoluble dietary fiber which makes them another food that, while sweet, raises blood sugar very slowly and without a crash. Oh, and they taste like gooey caramel. Crazy good. I buy mine from The Date People - straight from the trees.
• Tahini: Tahini is the paste that results from grinding sesame seeds. It's a light seed butter that is sweet with a slightly bitter undertone, but is the perfect foil for the sweetness of the dates. It's like the new peanut butter cup combo - dates and tahini. Try it and tell me I'm wrong.
• Cacao butter: Cacao butter is used in this recipe to ensure that when you eat the truffles, they melt in your mouth. You just use a little bit - a tablespoon - but you'll see that the concentrated flavor (and the chocolatey aroma!) of cacao butter goes a long way.
• Coconut nectar: Coconut nectar is sweet syrup extracted from the flowers of the coconut palm. Unlike other sources of sweetners, it is also a low-glycemic index food which means it raises blood sugar slowly over time, so there's no spike and crash, as with all the other ingredients in this recipe.
• Vanilla powder: Vanilla powder stays in the background in this recipe but is necessary to keep the flavors balanced.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a little bit of a kick to this recipe but even when I've added a lot, it stays in the background. Did you know there are different varieties of cinnamon? I like the Saigon ground cassia variety from The Spice House.
• Vanilla or neutral protein powder: I like to add just a little bit of protein powder to these to add some substance and increases satiety. That way, after you have one or two, you feel satisfied and won't be tempted to eat too many. Lately, I've been using the vanilla flavored collagen peptides from Sunwarrior.
• Sea salt: Salt is the key to many recipes, including this one. With so many sweet ingredients, the salt balances and enhances the flavors. Do not skip!
• Optional toppings: If you want to add something extra, consider rolling the truffles in chopped pecans, shredded coconut, or cacao powder. Or go crazy by rolling them in butterfly pea flower powder to make them blue or raspberry powder to make them red.

See recipe card for quantities.

Here's how to make Coconut Cacao Truffles

Here are a few easy-to-follow steps to make these coconut cacao truffles in pinch!

There are so many options for toppings even though the truffles are delicious without any toppings at all. You can roll them in shredded unsweetened coconut, more cacao powder, or even in Butterfly Pea Flower Powder to make them a pretty blue or even organic beet root powder to make them a deep red.

Variations

Here are a few variations you might want to try with the base ingredients of this recipe.

• Ginger truffles. Omit the cacao powder and add ginger and some extra cinnamon.
• Raspberry truffles. Instead of cacao powder, add frozen raspberries and crushed dried raspberries. Omit the cinnamon.
• Carrot cake truffles. Instead of cacao powder, shred carrots and add warming spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Equipment

You'll need just a few tools to make this recipe.

• Food processor: You'll need a food processor to pulverize and mix all the ingredients together. I use this one from Breville but there are some others that I've used that are great as well, like this one from Cuisinart and this one from Magimix.
• Prep bowls: Since there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, you'll find it's easier if you get them all prepped before you start mixing things together. That way, all you have to do is pick up each ingredient in it's individual bowl and add it in, boom boom boom! I use this set.
• Measuring cups: For any new recipe, you'll want to rely on measuring cups to get the ingredient proportions right. You just need a simple set. I use this one from OXO.
• Measuring spoons: You'll want measuring spoons for the spices. I like this set.
• Half sheet pan: When you roll the dough into balls, you'll want to set them on half sheet pan covered in parchment paper. USA Pan makes high quality sheet pans.
• Parchment paper: Get parchment paper sheets so you don't have to deal with painful process of trying to cut a roll of paper on the razor edge of the paper box. These paper sheets from Smartake do the trick.
• Serving trays: I love the melamine serving trays (like the one pictured above) for sharing the truffles with friends. I used one of the trays to share them with my neighbors at a barbeque party we had this past summer.

Storage

The truffle balls store well in ziploc bags in the refrigerator for two weeks or longer in the freezer. If you plan to freeze, make sure to thaw to room temperature before eating.

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