A Trio of Truffle Bites for Healthy Dessert or Snack

These easy do-ahead truffle bites are the perfect vegan (well, 2/3 at least) dessert or a healthy packable snack. They’re so simple to make that you’ll be tempted to throw together all three. Bonus: they’re gluten–free, too!

 

 Brownie Energy Bites

Yields: 20

Recipe: Robin Selden

Category: Vegan, pareve, gluten-free

Ingredients:

½ C whole hazelnuts, toasted

12 pitted dates, roughly chopped

hot water, plus 2 T hot water

2/3 C almond butter

1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T water

1 t vanilla extract

¼ t kosher salt

Directions:

Reserve 20 hazelnuts for the filling of the energy bites. Chop the rest of the hazelnuts and set them aside for rolling. Pulse dates in a food processor with hot water until paste like. Add the almond butter, cocoa, 2 more tablespoons of water, vanilla and salt. Process until well combined.  Put mixture into a bowl and scoop with a small round scooper.  Push one whole hazelnut into each ball and form a perfect ball around it. Roll in chopped hazelnuts and then chill until firm.  Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, let come to room temperature before serving.

 

Strawberry Chocolate Truffles

Yields: 20

Recipe: Robin Selden

Category: Dairy, gluten free

Ingredients:

½ C heavy cream

2 T butter

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

dehydrated strawberries, ground, for rolling

Directions:

Bring heavy cream and butter to a light boil in a saucepan. Place chocolate in a bowl. Pour boiling cream mixture over the chocolate and stir to mix until smooth. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Using a small round scooper, scoop out and roll into truffles. Roll the truffles in ground dehydrated strawberries. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, let come to room temperature before serving.

 

Birdseed Truffles

Yields: 20

Recipe: Robin Selden

Category: Vegan, pareve, gluten-free (if using GF oats)

Ingredients:

½ C oats, toasted

1/3 C shredded sweetened coconut

1/3 C Nutella

1/3 C crunchy peanut butter

¼ C honey

1 T Chia Seeds

¼ t kosher salt

1/3 C salted sunflower seeds

2 T sesame seeds

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined, except for the sunflower and sesame seeds. Roll the truffles into balls, using a small round melon scooper, or free form is fine too. In a small bowl, mix together the sunflower and sesame seeds, roll each truffle in the seed mixture, pressing to adhere the seeds to the truffle. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, let come to room temperature before serving.