Paleo Chocolate n’ Espresso Truffles

Paleo Chocolate n’ Espresso Truffles. Chewy-chocolaty perfection…great for accompanying the up-and-coming holiday spirit!

I know you may think it’s a little early for Christmas…but you know what? Apparently it’s not…it’s everywhere I go! Department stores in the mall are selling Christmas ornaments and decor; Costco has massive nativity sets for sale; downtown shops are slowly decorating their windows all Christmas-like…it honestly is super contagious and I love it! I’m ready for the holidays.

Christmas is all about family gatherings, holiday cheer, cherishing moments, celebrating Jesus’ birth, and goooooooood food! If you are 100% Paleo, there is no need to despair. The holidays can be very much enjoyed (food-wise). I’ll be posting yummy Paleo dishes to give you ideas of food you make want to prepare for your loved ones during Christmas gatherings.

If you want to see a specific dish/recipe, please let me know through post comments or through my forum!

Tools You’ll Need:

•        Food processor
•        Skillet
•        Wooden spoon
•        Baking sheet
•        Parchment paper
•        Measuring spoons
•        Measuring cups
•        Holiday/festive toothpicks
•        Small bowl and plate

Ingredients:

•        2 cups of sunflower seeds
•        14 medjool dates (pitted)
•        6 tablespoons unsweetened dark chocolate powder
•        2 tablespoons RAW honey
•        1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•        1 tablespoon instant coffee
•        ½ teaspoon cinnamon
•        ¼ teaspoon sea salt
•        85%+ cacao chocolate bar (melted)
•        ½ cup unsweetened dark chocolate chips
•        2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)

* Ecuadorian Coffee!

Steps:

1. Line your baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. We’ll start by roasting our sunflower seeds
   • Place skillet under medium heat and add coconut oil; once coconut oil melts, add in sunflower seeds.
   • Using your wooden spoon, slowly and consistently stir sunflower seeds so they all get a chance to roast and get a perfect golden color (you can keep it at medium heat or reduce it to medium-low, just be sure your sunflower seeds don’t burn!).
   • Once seeds are golden, turn burner off and let seeds cool.
3. Now, we’ll continue with our truffle mixture: Plug in your food processor and add in your roasted sunflower seeds. Process until sunflowers convert into a flour/meal like texture.
4. Add in dates to sunflower seed flour/meal, and process until both ingredients have mixed well.
5. Add instant coffee, vanilla extract, honey, sea salt, cinnamon and chocolate powder to the mix; process until you create a paste-like mixture (see picture below).
6. Place chocolate bar in a small bowl (see picture below) and melt it in the microwave. My chocolate bar took about 2-3 minutes to melt.
7. Place chocolate chips on small plate (see picture below) and have it ready for your “truffle-making process-line” (see picture below).
8. Grab a handful of your truffle mixture and create a small truffle-looking ball.
9. Dip your truffle in melted chocolate (make sure its covered completely).
10. Grab a toothpick, pick chocolate covered truffle with it and dip it in chocolate chips (chocolate chips should stick to truffle’s bottom).
11. Place truffle in parchment paper; be sure to position it in a way that truffle doesn’t tilt to its sides (what I did to avoid tilting of truffle: placed chocolate chips around truffle to create a little wall, so that truffle stays put and protected).
12. Repeat steps 8-11 until truffle mixture is gone.
13. Place baking sheet in your refrigerator and let truffles cool for about 2-3 hours before eating.

* Slightly modified from PaleOMG.com

*I made these for a dinner party and prepared them 2 days in advance; they were perfectly fresh and plenty cold/hardened!

* Recipe makes 16 truffles

* Nutritional Information (per truffle): 229 calories; 14g fat; 25g carbohydrates; 5g protein.

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