Homemade Christmas: Healthy (*AND* Decadent) Holiday Truffles

If you're still looking for a great food gift you can whip up at the last minute, this recipe should fit the bill. Not only is it quick and easy, the basic recipe can be adjusted to accommodate a wide range of dietary needs (it's naturally dairy- and egg-free, and can be made nut- or gluten-free, too).

One of our favourite new treats this year is the Chocolate Powerball recipe I created back in the spring. They taste very sinful but are packed full of nutritious ingredients! They're so good I decided they are gift-worthy, so I took my original recipe and gilded the lily a bit to make them extra-special for the holidays. I added dried cranberries and some extra spices to make them more festive.

I love this recipe for many reasons, not the least of which is the many ways you can customize it to suit your own tastes. You could add some orange extract (or even some rum extract if it's intended more for adult tastes). You can use just about any type of nut butter in these; cashew or almond butter would make them extra decadent! Also, you could substitute ground nuts for some or all of the rolled oats or quinoa.

I doubled the quantities in this version of the recipe so you have enough to share around (plus a few for yourself!) Also, I tried rolling these in cocoa for a more traditional truffle look, but it didn't work out too well, so I'd recommend either the coconut or ground nuts for coating them. 

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup peanut butter or sunflower seed butter (or any nut butter of choice)
1 cup coconut
1 cup *uncooked* rolled oats or *cooked* quinoa
1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
coconut for coating

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the honey, coconut oil, cocoa powder and sunflower seed or peanut butter.

Heat over medium-low heat just until mixture blends together well.

Remove from heat  and add coconut, oats, apricots, cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves.

Chill for about 45 minutes or until mixture firms up enough to roll into balls (I just stick a wooden cutting board under the saucepan and put it in the fridge).

Shape teaspoon-sized amounts of mixture into balls; roll in coconut. Store in refrigerator.

Makes about 4-5 dozen balls. 

If you missed the earlier installments of my Homemade Christmas series, check out Create Your Own Tea Blends, this super-luxurious Chocolate Orange Whipped Body Butter, a lovely Lavender & Calendula Face Scrub, and for the menfolk, a Bay Rum Aftershave Balm. For even more holiday ideas, you can find my whole Christmas on a Dime series HERE. 

This may end up being the last time I post before Christmas, so I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday.  I appreciate each and every one of you and I'm glad you stop by every once in a while to read my ramblings :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

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