Valentine Date Truffles Recipe
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Valentine’s Day is upon us! What better way to celebrate the sweetheart in your life than with a festive sweet treat like date and chocolate truffles?
This holiday is a close second to Halloween when it comes to candy overload! All that sugar can lead to a major crash by the end of the day. We are grabbing date-sweetened desserts this year to add a sweet balance to our Valentine’s treats.
Dates are packed with fiber and are basically nature’s candy. They can be turned into gooey caramel, coated in chocolate, or mixed with nuts and cocoa and rolled in decorative toppings to create a truffle.
Never had healthy chocolate truffles before? They’re one of the easiest (and cutest) desserts to make. Let us show you how to do it!
What are chocolate truffles?
Chocolate truffles are traditionally made from heavy whipping cream, melted chocolate chips or bars, and butter. They are decadent and delicious—but they are also really easy to continuously pop in your mouth as they are small and eye-catching. That can lead to a major sugar crash… talk about ruining the mood.
We’re all about enjoying our desserts around here, so we made clean, simple-ingredient, gluten-free, and vegan chocolate truffles that you can feel good about serving to your favorite person.
Of all the days in the year, Valentine’s Day might be the most fitting for these refined sugar-free truffles. They are colorful, easy to whip up for an after-dinner healthy treat, and totally shareable. We think this is a fun twist on the classic chocolate-covered strawberry and turns the dessert inside out with some extra fiber and nutrients! What could be more romantic?! Not to mention, these healthy truffles are refined sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free—and they’re absolutely delicious and perfectly sweet!
Are dates healthier for chocolate truffles?
Dates come in many varieties, but the most common dates you’ll see on US shelves are Deglet and Medjool. Deglet dates are smaller and have slightly more fiber. They also tend to be a bit drier than Medjool, so they don’t lend as well to a recipe in which you are blending them into a paste (like this recipe).
However, if this is all you have on hand, you can still use them. We recommend extending the soaking process by an additional 5 minutes for best results.
Medjool dates are our go-to choice for this date truffle recipe. They are big, gooey, and basically a dessert on their own. Additionally, there are about 7 grams of fiber and nearly 700 milligrams of potassium in 100 grams of dates. In comparison, 100 grams of Hershey’s chocolate bar has 3.6 grams of fiber and 471 milligrams of potassium.
Once you’ve finished whipping up these easy date and chocolate truffles, you’ll see why we are so in love with date desserts. If you want to dabble more in date desserts, try our almond butter-stuffed, chocolate-coated dates for ultimate decadence.
Healthy Date Truffles Ingredients
These vegan chocolate truffles are easy to make, require only a few ingredients, and there is no baking required! That’s pretty hard to beat. Go ahead and make these for the sweetest person in your life. What’s Valentine’s Day without a “date” or two, right? Although you probably won’t have any leftover truffles, you can store any extra in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about a week or so.
Dates
We love using Medjool dates in this recipe. They are the gooiest option and blend into the truffle paste really easily. They are also super sweet and available at most US grocery stores. Dates are a form of natural sugar, which is considered healthier than refined sugar.
Cocoa powder
Many truffle recipes use melted chocolate chips or chocolate bars, but we use 100% unsweetened cocoa powder to make these healthy chocolate truffles. Cocoa powder is the only source of chocolate flavor in the recipe, and you’ll be surprised at how powerful it can be!
Walnuts
Texture, texture, texture! We use raw (unsalted and unroasted walnuts) in this recipe. The walnut is really here for texture and, of course, nutritional value, but it isn’t the stand-out flavor. Walnuts are high in omega-3 healthy fats and protein, making them an obvious addition to our nutrient-forward truffles. Raw walnuts work best in this recipe, but if you only have roasted and salted, that will work too. Just be aware that it might change the flavor a bit, especially if they are salted.
Freeze-dried strawberries
These are so much fun and give these healthy truffles the brightest pop of color—no food coloring needed!
Often, truffles are rolled in cocoa powder because they are truly too sticky to eat without a coating. We changed it up with a strawberry coating to keep these festive for Valentine’s Day and pair one of the greatest couples of all time: strawberry and chocolate. You could coat some in cocoa powder and some in strawberry if you’re really trying to impress!
Other topping options include shredded coconut, a drizzle of peanut butter or another nut butter, or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Valentine Date Truffles Recipe
These vegan chocolate date truffles are easy to make, require only a few ingredients, and there is no baking required!
Ingredients
- 12-14 large Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- 1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries
Instructions
- Soak dates in boiling water in a medium bowl for 5 minutes to soften. The dates should be fully submerged, so the amount will depend on the size dish you use.
- In a blender or food processor, pulverize the freeze-dried strawberries until they become a fine powder.
- Remove the strawberries from the blender and set aside in a small bowl.
- Blend walnuts first until they become finely ground in a blender.
- Make the chocolate mixture by adding the dates, 2 tbsp of the date-soaking liquid, and cocoa powder to the blender.
- Once the mixture forms, roll truffles into balls using either a tablespoon or mini ice cream scooper for consistency.
- Roll each truffle in the strawberry powder until completely coated, and enjoy this delicious recipe! Feel free to dust each coated truffle with more cocoa powder if you like.
- Bonus tip: You can enjoy these homemade truffles right away, but they are best after setting up in the refrigerator for 30 minutes up to a few hours on a parchment paper-lined plate or tray.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 truffleCalories: 94kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSugar: 25g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Date Truffles FAQs
Are dates a healthy dessert?
Dates are far more nutritious than their candy bar counterparts. Though they are high in natural sugars, they are also loaded with fiber, making them more satiating and filling than eating a piece of chocolate candy. Dates are a healthier form of sugar than refined sugar.
Are dates a better sweetener than sugar?
Dates are considered to have a low glycemic index because the fiber content helps slow the absorption of sugar into the body. They are less likely than a candy bar to spike your blood sugar and are definitely the least processed option.
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