Easy cocoa date truffles require only four ingredients and are ready in under 30 minutes. These decadent truffles are a perfect after dinner treat or a snack when you are craving something sweet!
½teaspoonflavored extract, such as raspberry, orange, coconut or peppermint
¼cupflaky sea salt, shredded coconut, chopped nuts or freeze dried fruit, **for topping or rolling
Instructions
Soak the dates in boiling water for five minutes in order to soften them and make them easier to blend. Drain and reserve the soaking water.
Add the dates, cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of the date soaking water to the bowl of a food processor. If you are using any extracts, add them in here too. Process for 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times, until very smooth. Add more water a teaspoon at a time as needed to aid in blending. You want this to be a bit thinner than the texture of cookie dough.
Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the truffle batter onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Don’t worry about making them look nice and round right now because the batter will be too soft to roll into balls. Place the truffles in the freezer for 10 minutes, or until they are firm enough to roll between your palms into balls.
While the truffles are chilling: Add the dark chocolate and optional coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds, remove and stir. You will likely be able to get all the chocolate to finish melting just by stirring it. If lumps remain, microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted. Set aside
Once the truffles have firmed up slightly, roll each truffle between the palms of your hands into balls. Using a fork, put one truffle ball into the melted chocolate and roll around to coat completely. Place the fork under the truffle and tap on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Gently nudge the truffle off the fork and back onto the parchment paper. Repeat with remaining truffles and chocolate. If you are topping the truffles with sea salt or anything else, sprinkle it on top right after coating because the chocolate will set quickly. Place back in the freezer for 5 minutes for the chocolate to harden completely and then enjoy!
Notes
*Oil Free Option: I use coconut oil in the chocolate coating to make it thinner and easier to coat the truffles. If you are avoiding oil, you can still coat the truffles with melted chocolate, but the chocolate will be thicker and take a little more effort to coat.**Refined Sugar Free Option: You can skip the chocolate coating altogether and roll the date truffles in shredded coconut, finely chopped nuts or freeze-dried fruit.Storage: Store truffles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.