Spicy Orange Raw Chocolate “Truffles”

 I am super excited to share this recipe that will delight you and your Valentine. It was lovingly created by my friend Olena A. Gudz Danko, MS, RDN, LD who has married her passions of being a pastry chef, and a culinary nutritionist with integrative functional nutrition. She developed this recipe just for us! Thank you Olena!

truffles

These aren’t the average cloyingly sweet truffles that you’d find in heart-shaped box at the drugstore! These nutrient-rich raw chocolates are simply sweetened by dates and have a spicy, citrusy kick.

Ingredients:

For Truffle Base:

  • 8 Medjool dates
  • 1 tablespoon very hot water
  • ½ cup rolled oats, finely ground
  • ¼ cup almond meal
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon (can also use regular ground cinnamon)
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

For coating:

  • 1½ tablespoons almond meal
  • 1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

For the coating, combine almond meal and cocoa powder in small bowl and set aside.

Cut each date in half lengthwise, remove seed, and cut each half into three pieces.

Place date pieces in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Add the hot water and pulse several times until a thick paste forms.

In a small bowl, combine the ground oats, almond meal, unsweetened cocoa powder, chia seeds, orange zest, chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt.

Place the dry mixture into the bowl of the food processor with the date paste and continue to pulse until mixture comes together.

Form date mixture into ¾-inch balls and roll in almond-cocoa mixture. Place truffles on a small baking sheet and chill in the freezer for at least 45 minutes. Store in a freezer-storage bag in the freezer. Truffles can be eaten frozen or thawed briefly in the refrigerator for a softer texture.

Makes 24 Truffles

Olena Gudz danki

Olena is celebrating the month of February with chocolate and reminiscing about her wedding (which was in the summer of 2013!). She and her husband have an almost 15 month old son and while life is a tad more hectic these days, it is infinitely more joyful.

As an Integrative Culinary Nutritionist, Olena strives to bring flavorful, delicious foods to your plate while enhancing your health. Olena also recently adding wellness coaching to her list of services and is looking forward to growing a community of like-minded women. In her spare time (ha!), Olena loves trying new restaurants, baking for fun, reading, catching up with close friends, and soaking up every precious moment with her on-the-move toddler.

You can visit her website olenanutrition.com to learn more about what she has to offer! Follow her on Twitter at @OlenaNutrition.