Almond Date Truffles (Vegan)

These fudgy almond date truffles are not only vegan but a healthier dessert option that you can whip up for any special occasion. Crunchy on the outside and filled with chocolatey goodness on the inside, these little bites of heaven are great for a quick sweet fix for the holidays or any time of year!

With these yummy truffles, you will satisfy the sweet tooth of any picky eater, be they vegan or not!

With just a few ingredients, some simple instructions, and a food processor, you will have yourself a great treat that combines the healthy fats and protein of almonds, natural sweetness of dates, and antioxidant properties of cocoa.

Substituting dairy products in desserts can prove to be a challenge for many dairy lovers, as it can be very difficult to match the natural creaminess and flavor of butter. While there are many vegan options from hydrogenated oils, they kind of have an artificial taste and frankly are not that healthy. We like to keep it clean here, so we will be substituting them with natural ingredients that will really make you wonder if you are eating a vegan truffle.

Butter or cream substitutes

There are plenty of butter substitutes that you can use for this vegan almond date truffles, such as cashew butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, macadamia butter, coconut butter, honey (if you are one of the vegans that is ok with honey), or even corn syrup.

Do you really need almond flour?

If you can’t find almond flour at your local store, using a food blender or processor you can make your own by just blending some blanched almonds a few times.

You can also substitute the almond flour with other seeds and nuts, such as ground hemp seeds, chia, flax, or sunflower, but almonds have a milder taste that can easily be overpowered by your cocoa powder and dates.

Cocoa powder or chips?

While you can use cocoa powder for your truffles, you can also use some vegan semisweet or unsweetened chocolate chips if you can find them at your local store. If you will be using the melted chocolate chips, remember to adjust the recipe by adding less almond butter or dates if they are sweetened.

Dates

There are many types of dates, and while most of them will work just fine in these vegan almond date truffles, we recommend you use Medjool Dates if possible. Dried dates come in with different degrees of sweetness and textures. The Neglet Noor is drier, while the Medjool variety is slightly softer, which makes it easier to rehydrate. Using a softer texture date will give your recipe a more caramel-like taste, which will enhance the flavor of your dessert.

To save more time, soak your dates in advance to get them nice and soft for your truffles.

Coating

If you like a crunchy bite to your truffle, you can coat them with a hard chocolate crust. Warm up your chocolate chips and cover your truffles with the liquid and then let them cool in the fridge until the outer layer hardens. Another option is to combine cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sweetener to make a vegan chocolate dip. Or, simply buy a vegan chocolate and melt it in the microwave.

You can also top your truffles with any chopped nuts you prefer. Walnuts, almonds, macadamia, caju-your choice.

Or, opt for the simplest coating, and roll around your truffles in some confectioner’s sugar, cacao powder or expresso powder for a more bitter flavor.

Storage

These vegan almond date truffles will last for 1 week if store in the fridge. They should be kept at cold temperature to prevent them from melting.

Vegan Almond Date Truffles Recipe

What You’ll Need:

For the Coating:

  • Confectioner’s sugar
  • Crushed nuts
  • Chocolate dip: either vegan chocolate chips, or simple vegan chocolate

 

For the Truffles:

  • 1/2 cup almonds or almond flour
  • 16 pitted dates
  • 2 tablespoons of almond butter
  • 1 teaspoon honey/ agave syrup/
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, vanilla or other spice of choice

 

Instructions:

  • Take your dates, pit them, and cut them into halves. Let them soak in water for 20 minutes or so until they are nice and moist.
  • Take a few tablespoons of almond butter and spices to taste and add them to a microwave-safe bowl with your cocoa powder or chocolate chips. You can add more butter or spices depending on how moist and spicy you want the truffles.
  • Melt the chocolate chips and butter by leaving them in the microwave in two 20 second intervals. After every 20 seconds, stir the ingredients until they are completely melted.
  • Take the bowl out while there are soft chunks of chocolate in the mixture and continue stirring well until smooth instead of leaving it more in the microwave. This way you avoid burning the chocolate. The whole process should take around 40 seconds.
  • If you are using just cocoa powder, the almond butter should melt faster.
  • Take your chocolate butter mixture and add your almond flour.
  • Remove the dates from the water and pat them gently with a paper towel to remove all the extra moisture.
  • To make your almond flour, put your almonds in a food processor and pulse until you get a fine powder.
  • Add your syrup/honey, dates, and almond batter in the same bowl and pulse until you get a homogenized batter.
  • With a spoon, take some batter and roll into balls using your hands.
  • Melt some more vegan chocolate like in the previous steps and coat each ball. Sprinkle some chopped nuts and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
  • You can skip this step and roll your truffles in some confectioners’ powdered sugar or cocoa powder.
  • Whatever coating you choose, place your truffles in an airtight container that has been lined with parchment paper and store them in the fridge.

We hope that you liked our vegan almond date truffles recipe and will soon be tempting all your friends to try this nutritiously delicious snack.

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