These chewy delectable raw cacao truffles with a tangy raspberry coating are a great alternative to shop-bought processed chocolates. They satisfy sugar cravings without spiking blood glucose due to their lower sugar content and higher fat and protein content than conventional chocolates. Freeze-dried raspberries give these truffles a really lovely zingy tartness that contrasts perfectly with the richness of the 100% cacao.
If you don’t have raw cacao paste and cacao butter, just use a shop-bought high-quality high-cacao dark chocolate (see notes).
INGREDIENTS
MAKES 20-25 SMALL TRUFFLES
100g pitted dates
Pinch of salt
60 g / 1/3 cup, approx, cacao paste/liquor buttons
2 tbsp cacao butter buttons (approx 20g or 10 buttons)
2 heaped tbsp almond butter
1 dsp maca powder (optional)
5 g / ¼ cup freeze dried raspberries OR 1 tbsp raspberry powder
30 g / 1/4 cup freeze dried raspberry powder (or use around ¾ cup whole raspberries ground up to powder in a food processor)
METHOD
- Chop the dates roughly. Put the dates in a small saucepan with a good splash of water and a pinch of salt. Put the pan on low heat and allow the dates absorb the water and soften. Use a spatula or fork to mash the dates a little too create paste.
- Put the cacao paste and cacao butter buttons in a food processor and process until roughly broken. Add the date paste from your saucepan, almond butter, maca powder (if using) and the raspberries (or 1 tbsp raspberry powder), and blitz until a smooth chocolatey mass is formed. You may have to scrape the sides of the processor a few times or add a little water to help it along but avoid adding water initially as the heat from the dates will melt the cacao and create some liquid, which should be enough to make a smooth paste.
- Place 30 g raspberry powder into a bowl or pasta plate.
- Put some gloves on if you don’t want to make your hands dirty, then take a small amount of the cacao paste into your hands and roll into a small ball (I like bite size balls but you can do whatever size you like ). Do this until all paste is used. Drop each ball into the bowl/plate with raspberry powder and roll the balls in it to coat them.
- Place the plate with the truffles in the fridge and allow to set before enjoying.
Variation: Instead of using raspberry powder to coat the balls, you can also use other powders, e.g. cacao powder or ground orange peel powder to make different coloured balls.
Notes:
Cacao butter and cacao paste can be bought in good health food shops or online but if you can’t find any, you could also use 80 g of good quality dark chocolate to replace both cacao paste and butter.
Freeze-dried raspberries and raspberry powder can be bought online. Waitrose also sells freeze-dried raspberry pieces. If you can’t find any raspberries/raspberry powder, use any berry powder or superfood powder or any dried berries and experiment with different flavours.