Chocolate Coconut Truffles
(Disclaimer: The measurements given here are definitely not exact - I usually don't measure for this recipe and just go by what looks good. Feel perfectly free to change the ratios (or the ingredients, for that matter) if it's not working out so well for you.)
4 or 5 Dates (soaked in a small amount of hot water for about 15 minutes)
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup cocoa powder (gluten free, if needed)
3 TB Coconut oil, melted (optional, could use another oil/liquid if necessary)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup unsweeted shredded coconut + about 1/8 cup
Optional: more sweetener - I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I like things a little "richer", but if you find that it's not sweet enough for you, you can add more dates or another type of sweetener, such as honey, stevia, coconut palm sugar, pure maple syrup or regular granulated sugar, if you're into that. :)
Basically, blend everything up together!
1. More specifically, I blend the cashews with the cocoa powder first, in a Magic Bullet (or Vitamix/food processor would would great) until they almost start to turn into chocolate-y cashew butter goodness, usually about a minute or so. Set aside in a small-ish bowl.
2. Next, de-pit the dates and blend them with about 4 TB of the water used for soaking, the melted coconut oil, and the vanilla.
3. Pour this into the bowl with the dry mixture, and stir together, adding the shredded coconut until the mixture becomes less sticky. If it's still too wet, add more coconut or place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes until it becomes harder.
4. Roll into balls, and then into more of the shredded coconut (about 1/8 cup or so).
A note about the shredded coconut: mine is in pretty small pieces, less shredded and more...ground up? I got it from Tropical Traditions and I love it!
5. Enjoy! I keep mine in the freezer because I like the way they melt slightly when de-thawing, but they would be great in the refrigerator or eaten right away.
Yield: about 10.
