On the (belated) tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

Healthy chocolate truffles,

Festive brownie cupcakes,

Apps for Christmas snacking, 

Mangoes in a curry,

Classic Christmas cookies,

Warming split pea soup!

A sweet casserole,

Treats for Cupcake Day,

Two tasty curries,

and a super simple hummus recipe!

Okay, sort of healthy. As healthy as something dipped in chocolate could be. They’re certainly not something you’d want to eat daily, but these would be a good sweet treat (I emphasize – treat). Not to mention, they would make a great gift for Christmas. That’s what I made them for. I need to go to the store pretty soon to get some cute little mini-cupcake liners or some of those candy wrapper things that they sell in grocery stores…

So what makes these babies healthier than your average truffle? Well, the inside of the truffle is practically superfood. It’s dates and nuts, man! Couldn’t get more hippie than that! Feel free not to dip these in chocolate and feel less guilty about eating one or two at a time!

Healthier Chocolate “Truffles” 

Submitted as a Wellness Weekend Recipe

Yields: 12-16 balls

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup raw almonds
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 12 délot noir dates, chopper
• 1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp chocolate extract

Directions:

Pulse the nuts in a food processor a few times to break them up a little. Add in the dates and extracts and blend until everything starts to hold together. Scoop out a little of the mixture at a time, roll into 1″ balls, and well…eat them as is, chill for later “use,” dip them in chocolate, roll them in cocoa powder, roll them in coconut…the choice is yours!

 Like I said, I dipped mine in chocolate. A pretty easy way to melt chocolate without it totally seizing up on you is to add 1 cup of chocolate chips plus 1 tsp oil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir with a silicon spatula. Continue to microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring immediately after heating, until all chips are melted. Dip away! I suggest using a teaspoon to roll the date-nut ball around in the chocolate, scooping it out of the melted chocolate, and transferring it (almost) neatly to a piece of parchment paper. Once you dip all of the truffles, chill them in the fridge. Easy, huh? A tad messy, but easy nonetheless.

You know what else makes a good food gift?

Cookies. Cookies can do no wrong when it comes to gifting.

Are you giving any sort of food gifts this year?

Have you gotten your Christmas shopping done yet?

Do you know what you’re making for Christmas yet? I don’t.