Raw Chocolate Truffles

GLUTEN-FREE | GRAIN-FREE | DAIRY-FREE

These chocolate balls are soft, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They're healthy too. Made with raw cacao nibs, walnuts, dates, and coconut, they're full of good fats, antioxidants, nutrients, and fiber.

I also added cinnamon and caynene for a subtle kick and some anti-inflammatory action. (You can add as little or as much as you wish or omit them completely.)

Grinding the ingredients in a food processor is the only way to achieve the perfect texture. Because it brings out the natural (healthy) oils from the walnuts and cacao nibs, the finished balls have an oily texture. Conveniently, an oily outside is the perfect surface for making things stick. And because the natural fats are good for your skin, you can moisturize your hands at the same time. Once you've formed the balls, just rub your hands together until the oils are absorbed.

I garnished these truffles with shredded coconut. Reminiscent of snow, it's a festive touch during winter months but it's delicious all year long. Alternatively, you could garnish the truffles with cocoa powder (photo below) or chopped nuts.

Cacao Nibs

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw cacao nibs
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut plus more to garnish
• 7 dates, pitted
• Pinch sea salt
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• Pinch cayenne

Directions:

1. Put the cacao nibs in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop. Add the rest of the ingredients: walnuts, coconut, dates, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Process until they become a smooth, thick, soft, and homogenous mass. It will make a lot of noise and take about five minutes. 
2. Roll the mixture into uniform balls about one inch in diameter. Drop the balls, three or four at a time, into a shallow bowl of unsweetened shredded coconut (or cocoa powder or chopped raw nuts).
3. Roll them around until they are thoroughly coated, then transfer them to a serving plate or an air-tight storage container. (If you've rolled them in cocoa powder, you may want to shake them off inside a fine mesh strainer first to remove all of the excess powder.) 
4. Store the raw chocolate truffles (in small paper cups if you wish) inside an air-tight glass container.  Keep them at room temperature to preserve the soft and chewy texture, or keep them in the fridge if you like them a bit more firm.

Yield: 20 bite-sized balls