Little Energy Bites, Three Ways
The other day I was going to dinner at my brother’s and was asked to bring dessert. My first plan was to bake a cake – a carrot one – but I didn’t have much time and ended up improvising these raw truffles with the ingredients I already had at home. By now you already know that I’m the kind of cook who likes to “freestyle” in the kitchen, combining ingredients, adjusting here and there, and tasting as I go. The truffles I bring you today were made just like that, with the sort of approach I usually use when cooking savoury dishes.
Turns out, everyone at the table loved the truffles. The cashew, currant and turmeric version is inspired in one of my all-time favourite protein bars, while the one with sunflower seeds and maca powder in it is my brother’s personal favourite (he likes warmer, toasty flavours). I’m particularly happy with the hemp seed, coconut and lime combo though, because it’s fresh and exotic at the same time.
Needless to say, you don’t have to stick with the ingredients I used and should feel free to make your own combinations too. Instead of sunflower seeds, you could use toasted hazelnuts, and if you’re not a fan of maca, you could probably substitute it for a combination of spices such as ginger and/or nutmeg (although not in the same proportion). The possibilities are endless here, just have some fun mix and matching and I’m sure you’ll come up with something delicious.
Little Energy Bites, Three Ways
makes 24 truffles, 8 of each flavour
Sunflower Seed, Figs & Maca
55 g / 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
95 g / about 12 small dried figs, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Maca powder
1 Tablespoon Water
pinch of salt
cocoa powder for coating
Add the sunflower seeds to the bowl of a food processor and run the machine until they’re finely ground. Add the remaining ingredients and process once again until a paste comes together. Form 8 truffles with your hands. Roll the truffles in cocoa powder and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before eating.
Cashew, Currants & Turmeric
78 g / ½ cup cashews
40 g / 1/3 cup currants
1 ½ Tablespoons brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
zest of one orange
pinch of salt
Pulverize the cashews in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and run the machine until a paste comes together. Shape the mixture into 8 balls.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before eating.
Hemp Seeds, Coconut & Lime
60 g / 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon raw shelled hemp seeds
2 Tablespoons brown rice syrup
5 Tablespoons dried shredded coconut, plus extra for coating
zest of one lime
pinch of salt
Combine all the ingredients in the food processor and run the machine until you get a paste-like mixture. Shape the mixture into 8 truffles – this mixture will be a softer than the other two, but the truffles will harden in the fridge. Roll the truffles into shredded coconut (I like to mix some extra lime zest with coconut). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before eating.
Cocoa Truffles
This blog hasn’t been updated in a while and all I can do is to blame the fact that life and its issues have kept/are keeping me busy. I’ve been cooking (although not on a daily basis), but most of the time I just don’t feel like taking pictures of what I’ve cooked and writing down the recipes to make blog posts out of it. It’s not that I don’t like that part of the process, but I just don’t manage to do it as often as I’d like to.
So, the other day I met up with some friends for a picnic and, inspired by this recipe, I made and brought these cocoa truffles, as well as an Ottolenghi-inspired cucumber salad. Everybody enjoyed the truffles and asked how I made them so, dear friends and people, hereby follows the recipe. These ones are so damn delicious and come together in a breeze, so there’s actually no excuses not to make them. As far as toppings go, I used cocoa powder, shredded coconut and a beautiful mix of dried flowers. But you can certainly play around with the toppings and roll the truffles in sesame seeds, a mixture of cinnamon and light muscovado sugar or a combo of finely chopped nuts and fragrant spices. This is also the perfect treat to try out if you have kids around and need a little help molding and rolling the truffles, and of course eating them. ; )
Cocoa Truffles
(makes about 18 truffles)
1 cup (80 grams) shredded coconut
3/4 cup (120 grams) almonds, soaked for at least 2 hours before using
8 dried figs (the softer, the better), coarsely chopped (75 grams)
5 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder
3 to 4 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
1 tablespoon tahini
a pinch of salt
shredded coconut, cocoa power, mix of dried flowers for topping
1. Mix all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until a thick paste has formed.
2. Take one or two teaspoons of the mixture at a time and, with your hands, mold the mixture into little balls.
3. Coat the balls with the toppings mentioned above. Enjoy!
recipe inspired by Green Kitchen Stories
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