Vegan Gluten-Free Truffles

If I told you that there existed a dreamily delicious chocolate truffle that is actually good for you – would you believe me? Well, girls – for this Valentine, here it is and you can easily make it yourself! I am obsessed with these little treats and have a small glass container full of them in my fridge. Every now and then I catch my husband or daughter red-handed – mind you, they can dip in as much as they like because these little vegan gluten-free truffles will actually benefit their health.

The truffles are made with coconut manna* and virgin coconut oil, so if you’re not a coconut fan – this isn’t the recipe for you. For those of you who’ve read my book and past recipes, you’ll know I’m a big fan of virgin coconut oil as it has so many incredible health benefits – it actually helps to speed up your metabolism too! Remember, the bad rap that coconut oil has had in the past refers to regular/nonvirgin or raw coconut oil, which is hydrogenated and therefore trans fat.

Healthy chocolate truffles, without all the sugar and junk, which is typically in a truffle, is sexy food – just perfect to pop into your lover’s mouth after a romantic Valentine’s dinner. There is nothing as un-sexy as feeling all full up with a crappy, creamy dessert – it kind of looked great on the plate, felt good in your mouth, but 5 minutes after you regret it big time. Part of the problem is the cheap fats and excessive sugar that commercial chocolates and truffles are packed with.

My little delights will satisfy your taste and texture buds (they’re creamy/silky,) and will leave you feeling energized for the night ahead!

Chocolate & Coconut Raw Vegan Truffles (Gluten-free too)

Have a look through the ingredients. You will find all of them at Whole Foods or your local health food store. If you don’t live near a health store, you’ll be able to all these products from www.amazon.com

You will need:

• 2 tbsp Nutiva coconut Manna
• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 1 tbsp Lundberg brown rice syrup
• 1 tbsp Navitas Naturals Organic raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• ¾ cup almond meal
• 2 tbsp raw cacao powder for dusting

How to:

1. Take a small bowl and add all the ingredients (except the almond meal). Take a large metal spoon and mash the ingredients together.
2. Make sure that the coconut manna and oils have been kept for at least a day at room temperature – the colder they are, the harder they’ll be to blend. It may take a bit of work to really make sure that all the coconut oil and manna are well blended (no little white lumps should be visible). Slowly add the almond meal, again mashing all the ingredients together with the metal spoon. Keep adding until the almond meal is well combined with the other ingredients.
3. Cover a large plate with some parchment paper and sprinkle 2 tbsp cacao powder over the paper. Scoop out little balls of the truffle paste into the palm of your hand and roll into marble-sized smooth balls (you can make them a little larger, but this is a rich truffle, so I prefer a little bite – you can always go back for more!)
4. Gently roll each ball in the cacao powder and place on a parchment paper-lined tray or baking sheet.
5. Place the truffles in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours. You can then carefully transfer them to a container with a lid. They can be stored for up to 1 week in your fridge.