Festive Raw Christmas Truffles

Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year. Like no other holidays Christmas brings to mind beautiful childhood memories. My mother used to spent hours in the kitchen preparing wonderful feast that would bring the entire family together. The cold outside, the warmth of the home, the scent of freshly cooked and baked delicacies, the wonderfully decorated Christmas tree, candle lights, and Christmas carols made the celebration simply unforgettable.


Years later I try to recreate this festive atmosphere every year even if there is not much baking or cooking in my house. For this Christmas I created raw truffles that will make your eyes shine. I used edible gold leaf flakes to decorate them. If you do not want to use gold to decorate your truffles you can use lemon zest or crushed almonds. They will be just as pretty.

I did not use any alcohol, but you can make an adult version of these chocolates and add 1-2 Tbsp of rum.

The recipe below produced 21 tasty chocolates. I used food processor to make the date paste, but I made the truffle "dough" in a large bowl using a spatula, simply because this reminds me of my mother who hardly ever used kitchen aid. You can use your food processor if you prefer, but you can still make these delicious chocolates even if you do not own one. To make the date puree use a sieve and a wooden spoon. This may be a bit laborious, but not impossible.

Ingredients:
  • 10 Medjool dates 
  • 1 1/2 cup raw almond meal
  • 1/2 cup raw cacao
  • 1/4 cup raw cacao butter
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp Celtic salt 
  • 1/4 tsp organic vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp edible gold leaf flakes for decoration


Method:
  • Wash the dates and place them in a bowl of purified water. Soak over night. Save the water.
  • Blend dates in a food processor to make the date paste.  (Remember to remove the pits before processing.)
  • Melt cacao butter in a water bath. To do this place a small bowl with raw butter in a bigger bowl filled with warm water and wait till the butter turns into liquid.
  • Add the melted butter to the date paste and whiz for a few seconds.
  • Add all the remaining ingredients and process until you have a firm dough. Add the soaking water if the dough is too firm. Taste the dough. Add more spices or a sweetener of your choice if you desire.
  • Using clean hands form small truffles. I took the table spoon size of my measuring spoon to portion out the dough.
  • Once the truffles are formed, use the gold flakes to decorate them and put them in individual paper cups.
  • Put the finished truffles into fridge for about 1 hour before serving. And as always, enjoy in good company! 


Wishing everyone who celebrates very Happy and Healthy Christmas and peaceful Holiday Season - In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2013