Valentine's Day is a holiday known for flowers, heart shaped cards, and lots of chocolates. If you're like me and have a sweet tooth, it can be difficult to avoid those cravings for sweets this time of the year. One of my favorite treats to make for myself are these Date Truffles, and while they shouldn't be treated as a casual snack, they're a great substitute for chocolate truffles and are extremely easy to make.
They contain only two main ingredients: dates and coconut oil. As for toppings, you can roll them in whatever you want, I went with unsweetened coconut flakes, freeze-dried raspberries, and 100% cacao powder, but you could do crushed almonds or chia seeds.
Dates contain important vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber. But, because they are a dried fruit they are rather high in calories and contain a lot of natural sugar (which is why they work so well in this recipe). So, while you don't want to go overboard with them, they're perfect as a sweet treat from time to time. According to the FDC, two dates (48 grams) contain the following nutritional information:
Calories: 133
Carbs: 36 grams
Fiber: 3.2 grams
Protein: 0.8 grams
Sugar: 32 grams
Fat: 0 grams
Calcium: 2% of the Daily Value (DV)
Iron: 2% of the DV
Potassium: 7% of the DV
Copper: 19% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 7% of the DV
Magnesium: 6% of the DV
All in all, there are quite a few nutrients packed into these little dates, and while they should be treated as a desert, they're definitely a better option than a box of chocolate. Below is the super simple recipe for making these tasty treats. Enjoy!
How to Make Date Truffles
Ingredients
1 lb Pitted Dates (diced)
1 tsp Coconut Oil
Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Freeze-dried Raspberries
Cacao Powder
Prepare your toppings beforehand. Process or grind freeze-dried raspberries into a fine powder and sift this powder to remove the seeds (be careful, this red powder can get messy). If you want to, line a mini-muffin pan with small baking papers beforehand. Put each topping into a separate bowl or small plate for rolling in later.
Place diced dates in a food processor and process for about a minute. Add coconut oil and process until mixture forms a solid mass, about a minute, depending on your food processor. Once the mixture is a mostly solid mass, scrape down the sides of your food processor and turn the dough out onto a work surface.
Take about 2 tablespoons worth of “dough” and roll between your palms to form a ball. Roll your date ball in the topping of your choice until it is fully covered. If the "dough" is too sticky, rinse your hands in cold water and pat dry before rolling the next truffle. I keep a bowl of cold water nearby to keep my hands from getting too warm. Continue until all of your date "dough" is used.
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge to keep fresh.
Enjoy!
