Healthier Truffles for the New Year
The holiday counters laden with the tastiest treats of the year bring me to this point.
Eating carrots and kale like it's going to clean all the butter fat right out of me. Huge plates of salad. Dates and dried mango for dessert. Yep - the pendulum swings. And the fiber might be getting the better of me.
What's the word again? Oh yeah. BALANCE.
So take a bite of these little beauties. I promise you won't need to follow them up with a couple days of carrot juice. They are good for you. Check out the ingredients -- pumpkin seeds, almonds, dates, spices. And there's nothing wrong with a sprinkle of cocoa powder, is there?
Spiced Pumpkin Seed Truffles
inspired by A Couple Cooks
1 cup dates (about 8 to 10)
2 tablespoons pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds – plus more to garnish)
2 tablespoons almonds
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
I used dates that were pre-pitted, but if you didn't, cut the dates in half and remove the pits. In a food processor, blend the dates until a paste is formed.
Add the remainder of the ingredients above and pulse until everything is combined; the result will look like small crumbles.
Take small spoonfuls of the crumbles, press them together, and roll them into balls (depending on the size, you should get around 8-10). If desired, press a pumpkin seed into the top of each truffle.
Eating carrots and kale like it's going to clean all the butter fat right out of me. Huge plates of salad. Dates and dried mango for dessert. Yep - the pendulum swings. And the fiber might be getting the better of me.
What's the word again? Oh yeah. BALANCE.
So take a bite of these little beauties. I promise you won't need to follow them up with a couple days of carrot juice. They are good for you. Check out the ingredients -- pumpkin seeds, almonds, dates, spices. And there's nothing wrong with a sprinkle of cocoa powder, is there?
I borrowed my mom's food processor for this recipe.
I was certain the VitaMix wouldn't do the trick {past experiences have taught} so this time I didn't even try that.
It's so simple. Put the dates into the processor and blend to a paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined.
Then you press the mixture into balls and voila. Ready to eat.
The perfect little treat.
They are pretty powerful, especially if you double the cocoa powder {oops!}. One is usually enough.
Spiced Pumpkin Seed Truffles
inspired by A Couple Cooks
1 cup dates (about 8 to 10)
2 tablespoons pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds – plus more to garnish)
2 tablespoons almonds
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
I used dates that were pre-pitted, but if you didn't, cut the dates in half and remove the pits. In a food processor, blend the dates until a paste is formed.
Add the remainder of the ingredients above and pulse until everything is combined; the result will look like small crumbles.
Take small spoonfuls of the crumbles, press them together, and roll them into balls (depending on the size, you should get around 8-10). If desired, press a pumpkin seed into the top of each truffle.