Hazelnut Energy Truffles

I love sugar! And chocolate! I know it's unhealthy so I've been trying to come up with some alternatives that don't leave you feeling too guilty: dates are the answer!

Dates not only curb your sweet-tooth, they are a good source of iron, potassium and fibre too. I use dates in a lot of baking and don't need to add any sugar (hopefully I'll have a post about some tasty muffins soon!).

 

Lately I have been noticing a lot of 'energy balls' and raw truffles kicking about in the shops. They are mostly date based and tend to be quite expensive. I figured I'd give it a try making my own and so far I have had two batches. One was a date and cacao (nibs) rolled in coconut, the other was made with dates, hazelnuts and a blend of cacao and guarana powder rolled in sesame seeds. Here is a recipe for hazelnut energy truffles:

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

• 150g dates (soaked in warm water for 10mins)
• 50g hazelnuts
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil (measure then melt)
• 2 tbsp. InSpiral Energy Mix or other preferred blend
• sesame seeds for rolling

 

While the dates are softening in the water, blitz the hazelnuts in the food processor for a few minutes so they still have some crunch. Drain the dates and add to the hazelnuts. Blend for a further minute or so until the mixture starts to bind together.

 

 

 

Melt the coconut oil in the microwave and add this, along with the energy powder, to the main mix. Blend until the powder and oil are incorporated. Now you can start rolling the mix into balls then onto a plate of sesame seeds to finish. Pop the truffles into the freezer to set (it's easy to store them in the freezer until needed). Take them out when you're in need of a treat!