Ok, so I’m going to be totally honest here… these are nothing less than amazing.
I planned a little visit with a pal of mine, Nicole (and her amazingly cute little babe Kira), and we decided to turn it into a little treat making date! We were talking about different flavors for energy bars/balls/bites as we all know I have quite a few on the blog already (see recipe page under snacks!).
She had mentioned a Pina Colada flavoured bar (which you better believe will be made during our next date!), and I told her about this chocolate cherry flavor I had been brainstorming… BUT I had one problem. After looking. and searching, and scouring the city, I could not find dried cherries that weren’t chock-full of added sugars! BOO!
I refused to wreck some beautiful naturally sweet energy bars with sugar laden dried fruit, so I was yet to make this chocolate cherry flavor I was dreaming of. That was, until the day before our date, just randomly at a local small grocery store (bless you Wild Earth Foods) I found them! Just dried cherries, and a little sunflower oil!
Success!
So… to make a long story a little shorter, we decided to make the chocolate cherry flavor energy balls… then roll them in cocoa powder and turn them into TRUFFLES!
Rich, chocolaty, cherry-filled, naturally sweet, and oh-so-sinful-tasting-but-not-actually-sinful truffles!
Call me an oddball… but making these little energy bites/balls/bars is one of my favourite things to do in the Kitch! They are SO easy, and in the end you have a product that tastes like it should have taken A LOT more effort!
Really, the food processor/blender does all the work!
I was actually really impressed with my friends Ninja blender for taking on the task of making these truffles and it did a great job… I’m totally biased to my Vitamix, but that little Ninja held it’s own for sure!
We rolled the finished cherry chocolate truffles in Camino raw cocoa powder just to make a light coating that would intensify the chocolate flavor…all with a very watchful eye. Baby Kira was right in the kitchen with us making sure we did everything up to her standards!
We measured out all the ingredients and made 15 delightfully delicious truffles that came in at… get this, only 90 calories a pop!
90 calories!!
Because we used chocolate protein powder in the mix (North Coast Naturals Chocolate Isolate – clean and delicious!) the macros for these yummy truffles turned out nice and balanced!
12g of carbs, 5g of protein, and 2.5g of fats!
I thought for sure after trying one that I’d be reaching for the second, but both of us were pleasantly surprised at how rich and filling just one truffle was!
We split the batch and I was on my merry way, truffles in tow!
I don’t know how I did it… but I managed to make the whole drive home (in rush hour traffic) without reaching for another one – after all I wanted to save my second for an evening snack!
These truffles are PERFECT for gifting!
They don’t get too soft at room temperature (although for a longer shelf-life I would keep them refrigerated!), so they would be great put into little treat bags and wrapped with a ribbon and given to co-workers, friends, or family as a little Christmas gift!
Yep, I’m totally doing this.
- 1 cup raw almonds (150g)
- ½ cup chocolate protein powder (I use North Coast Naturals Chocolate Whey Isolate - for vegan, choose a vegan chocolate protein powder, or omit and use an additional ¼ cup raw cocoa powder) (also, ensure your protein powder is gluten free if needed)
- 1 cup pitted dates (135g)
- 1 cup dried unsweetened cherries (160g)
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons raw cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- In a food processor or high speed blender (such as a Vitamix, Blendtec, or Ninja) add 2 tablespoons raw cocoa, protein powder, and almonds.
- Blend for 30 seconds.
- Add in dates, cherries, and almond milk.
- Blend again until the mixture is well combined (you may have to do this in batches, or stop every 20 seconds or so to scrape the sides of the blender/processor).
- Once you have a well combines sticky mass of batter, move the truffle batter into a large bowl.
- Scoop out 35g portions of batter (or about 2 tablespoon size) and roll into a ball with the palm of your hands. Should make 15 balls.
- On a large plate, spread out 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder.
- Lightly roll each truffle ball into the cocoa powder to coat.
- Place the truffles in the refrigerator or freezer to store.
- Enjoy!
So…if you didn’t already have plans for the weekend… you do now…TRUFFLE MAKING!
Have a wonderful weekend!
I love this recipe. The ingredients are really simple and it tastes really wonderful and clean. I tried it in a ninja blender and it didn’t blend everything, but it did the job. Thanks so much for posting all your wonderful recipes!
Fantastic! Thanks Corrin! 🙂 The good thing about these is that they don’t need to be fully blended to work!
These are so heavenly, it’s hard to stop at just one or two. They make a great snack before I go to the gym, 5:30 is too early to eat much but need a little something for energy, etc. I think the cherries I found at bulk barn are sweetened a little (?) not sure, but they are so yummy 🙂 Great recipe, I’ll be making these LOTS!
These are the perfect pre workout snack! Some cherries are sweetened, some aren’t – just have to check for added ingredients!
That’s great – I hate the fact that so often you have to keep these in the freezer so they aren’t suitable for taking as gifts, or for a snack at work. Great work guys!
Yeah I was really happy with how firm these ones turned out! 🙂 And because of the cocoa powder coating, they don’t get super sticky either!
Oh, also..I have a $100 Ninja blender and I love it! I make all my bites and bars in it no problem, nuts, dates..it does the trick! A year and a half of using it once a day, sometimes two…or three, and it’s still going strong.
I’d still love a free Vitamix of course 😉 but I’d recommend the Ninja for a much lower price point!
Yeah! For being so much cheaper I was impressed with how well it did!! 🙂 I’d definitely recommend it to those who don’t want to go as steep as the Vitamix! 🙂
Nice one! I’m going to try these with the NCN Raw Hemp Smoothie in Chocolate. Should be delicious!
Yum! That’s a great idea! 🙂
These looks wonderful Christal!
And it was funny, cause I made my own little marbelled treats today – healthy marzipan! 😀 Soon to come up on my blog, already posted today’s entry, don’t want to overdo it 😛
Hah, I love how you went all Chandler Bing on the “could you BE any cuter”, love it! She is a cutie for sure 😀 Have lovely weekend you! x J
Haha I was trying to remember where that was from – totally Chandler! Lol -mmmmm Marzipan!! Can’t wait!