As a family we have been using Dates for many decades. The love for this sweet fruit spans many generations and my gran used to make sweet treats using Dates for us all regularly and my parents have them as a regular staple in their house.
In particular my family has a love of Medjool dates (I get mine from M&S or, Sainsbury’s). The Medjool date is sticky, soft and has a deep caramel taste – what’s not to love. They are also high in fibre, potassium and copper.
I started experimenting with Dates a few years back inspired by the likes of Ella (Deliciously Ella) and Madeline Shaw (Get the Glow) to adapt my grans recipes and give them a modern twist and make them more family and child friendly.
You can adapt these recipes to add in anything you want. My top tips are:
- Remember to take the stones out of your Dates. I made this mistake once and my Vitamix just about survived! I now only buy pitted Dates.
- Use a strong Food Processor as dates are super sticky. Dates have given my Vitamix a run for its money in the past.
- Roll your Date Balls small as Dates have a lot of sugar. These are treats.
- Add nuts to the mix. Nuts and seeds, like walnuts, almonds, and chia or flax seeds, have blood sugar-regulating nutrients going for them, their protein and healthy fat further help slow down digestion.
Coconut & Cacao Chocolate Truffles
Makes 10
Now these are my favourites. I didn’t add nuts to this version and that makes the texture just like a chocolate truffle. So delicious it is easy to eat them all in one go. I often make my Date truffles for friends and take them as presents when I go over for coffee or lunch. I must admit I have seen them demolish the pack in one sitting (opps).
Ingredients
- 8 Medjool dates / approx 150g
- 30g Organic Cacao Powder
- 30g Shredded Coconut (and 2 tablespoons to coat)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Pinch pink salt
Method
1: Take the stones out of the Dates
2: Add your Dates into your blender, if you want to make this easier on your blender cut your dates into small pieces first.
3: Throw in the Cacao powder and toss your Dates about until they are coated. It makes them less sticky and easier for your mixer to deal with.
4: Once coated and dates are dry with the Cacao Powder add your Coconut, Coconut Oil and Pinch of Salt.
5: Blitz all ingredients together. You will need to use the Tamper attachment at this point (this is the weird looking stick thing) to help keep the mixture moving.
6: Once all the ingredients are combined and you have a gooey chocolaty mixture empty it all out into a bowl.
7: I wear disposable gloves at this point, but either way rub some coconut oil onto your hands and roll the mixture into small balls.
8: Once all the truffles are rolled and ready wash your hands.
9: Add your extra shredded coconut to a plate and roll your truffles around until they are coated in coconut.
10: If you want to be a bit naughty you could also crush up a Cadburys Flake bar and roll them around in this so you have a mixture of coconut and chocolate flakes on the outside.
11: These can then live in the fridge for up to two weeks however if you want to retain the soft truffle texture leave them out in an air-tight container and eat them within the week.
I have listed 3 variations for the above recipe and they all follow the same process. Where the recipe uses nuts, blitz these first for a minute before adding rest of the ingredients.
Orange Cacao Truffles
Makes 10
- 8 dates / 150g
- 30g Organic Cacao powder
- ½ Orange Zest
- 1 tbs Orange Juice
- Pinch Salt
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
- Extra Cacao to dust your truffles
Follow same steps as above.
Chocolate Nutty Power Balls
Makes 15
- 8 dates / 150g
- 50g Organic Cacao Powder
- 100g Almonds (or Hazelnuts)
- 50g Shredded Coconut
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Pinch pink salt
- Extra Cacao / Cadbury Flake to coat your truffles
Blend the nuts in your food processor for 1 min and then add rest of your ingredients. Don’t forget to coat your Dates so that they are less sticky. It will make it easier on your Food processor.
Also note that I’ve called these ‘Power Balls’ as the addition of nuts make them less like a truffle and denser in texture.
Chocolate, Cardomon, Vanilla Power Balls
Makes 10
- 8 dates / 150g
- 50g Organic Cacao Powder
- 50g Hazelnuts
- 1 tbsp Coconut oil
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of ground cardamom
- Extra Cacao / Cadbury Flake to coat your truffles
Blend the nuts in your food processor for 1 min and then add rest of your ingredients. Don’t forget to coat your Dates so that they are less sticky. It will make it easier on your Food processor.
Also note that I’ve called these ‘Power Balls’ as the addition of nuts make them less like a truffle and denser in texture.
Note to my girls
Now listen up girls, mummy makes these for you but only lets you eat 1 truffle a day. Yes they are healthier than chocolate BUT here’s the thing Dates are also very high in sugar. 1 pitted Medjool date weighing 24g has approx. 16g of sugar which is about 4 tsps of sugar. So roll those balls small!
Enjoy
Love Chet x