DECEPTIVELY DECADENT, TRULY WHOLESOME TRUFFLES: ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE, MAPLE CINNAMON CASHEW, and CHAI SPICE

This is not a negative post, I promise.  Just bear with me for a minute. 

I’ve always found Valentine’s Day to be a bit tiresome.  Supposedly commemorating the martyrdom of St. Valentine, this now secular holiday has become an excuse for the heteronormative, consumeristic valuing of love and relationships.  As to be expected in a capitalist and hardly health-conscious society, we are told and expected to display our love for our romantic partners through the purchase of gifts and terrible-for-you treats.  Alas, this blog is not a space for politics.  This is a space for food!  So on this Valentine’s Day, I would like to present you with a (foodie) alternative.  Sure, share love with and appreciation for your partner, if you have one.  But don’t stop there.  Share love with and appreciation for your family and your friends, the people whose presence in your life makes it all the more positive, enjoyable and fulfilling.  But don’t stop there.  This Valentine’s Day, share love with and appreciation for yourself.  Make sure you do one thing—however grand or small—for yourself, to say ‘good job’, to make yourself happy.  And after you do that thing, give yourself another treat: Go make these ridiculously tasty, totally whole foods-based truffles.  You can absolutely share them with the people you love, but consider this your warning: You may not want to.  (And I totally won’t blame you for hoarding them in your fridge.)

Amazing Dates

The common ingredient across these three very different truffles is dates.  Can I use this Valentine’s Day to express my overwhelming love for dates?  They’re amazing.  Originating in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, this incredibly saccharine fruit (soft and succulent raw, but most often found dried in markets) will satisfy any craving for sweets you may have; but unlike processed sugars and their byproducts, dates are nutrient and mineral-rich!  Aside from being an excellent source of fiber, dates contain high amounts of vitamin A, iron, calcium, manganese, and copper.  Due to their sweetness, dates make for an excellent addition to dishes like oatmeal or smoothies, plus they are ideal for health-ifying certain types of desserts without compromising flavor.  Raw desserts are prime among them.

In all my food blog reading over the past year, I have come across countless variations of ‘energy bars’, raw brownies, ‘healthy cookie bites’, and so forth that are made out of dates, nuts, and various other ingredients and natural sweeteners.  The first of these truffles—the Espresso Chocolate—comes directly from the stunning blog Green Kitchen Stories.  They are so silky, so chocolaty, so decadent tasting that it is truly difficult to believe that they do not contain a trace of butter, cream or processed sugar.  The other two are my creation, inspired by many the raw desserts I have encountered online over the past year.  Like most of my posts on this site aim to be, they are wholesome, they are healthy, and they are damn delicious.  Eating in this manner is one of the best and simplest ways to love yourself, I’ve found.  I hope you do too.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Espresso Chocolate, Maple Cinnamon Cashew, and Chai Spice Truffles

Each makes 15-20 truffles

Ingredients

Espresso Chocolate Truffles from Green KitchenStories

15 (medjool) or 20 (deglet noor) dates

4 Tbsp. rolled or porridge oats

2 Tbsp. dried, unsweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

2 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil (or other cold-pressed neutral oil)

2 Tbsp. cacao powder

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. ground cardamom

1 shot (2 Tbsp.) cold espresso or strong coffee

extra cacao, cinnamon, chopped coconut, oats or ginger for rolling

Maple Cinnamon Cashew Truffles

½ cup (3 oz.) raw cashews, soaked in filtered water for 4 hours and then oven dried at the lowest possible temperature for 30+ minutes, OR roasted at 325°F / 162°C / Gas 3 for 15-20 minutes

2 Tbsp. rolled or porridge oats

10 (medjool) or 15 (deglet noor) dates

½ Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil (or other cold-pressed neutral oil)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. salt

¾ Tbsp. 100% pure maple syrup

extra oats and cinnamon (mixed together) for rolling

Chai Spice Truffles

10 (medjool) or 15 (deglet noor) dates

4 Tbsp. rolled or porridge oats

2 Tbsp. dried, unsweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

2 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil (or other cold-pressed neutral oil)

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. maple syrup

½ Tbsp. chai spice mix (recipe below)

pinch of salt

extra oats for rolling

Chai Spice Mix from Fox in the Kitchen

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground all spice

1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1.  If dates are tough or dry, soak in filtered water for at least 30 minutes to soften.

2.  Roughly chop dates.

3.  Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend for a couple minutes, until completely combined and a tacky paste or ball forms.

4.  Put truffle dough in the fridge for 10 minutes.  This will allow it to firm up a bit and make rolling it into balls much easier.

5.  Take small handfuls of the dough and roll into balls, a bit smaller than a ping pong ball (or whatever size you prefer).

6.  Roll balls in the ‘extra’ dry ingredients listed at the end.

7.  Let truffles chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Keep stored in fridge.

HONEY ALMOND BUTTER TART with CHOCOLATE GANACHE

I know, I know, it's the middle of January.  The month after the Month of Unapologetic Gastronomic Overindulgence.  The month where everyone is trying to eat lighter, healthier, to get 'back on track'.  I'm sure you're all thinking, "Really?  Is she seriously posting a ridiculously decadent tart recipe right now?  Give me kale!  Give me beets!"  Well, I hate to break it to you, but I am.  Partly because I made this tart back in December, when eating such things was not only acceptable but expected.  And partly because I simply cannot wait to share it with you any longer. 

Now, a word about this tart.  Some meals or dishes are special because they're ridiculously delicious.  Others are special because of the people you made or shared them with.  This tart is both.  It is so delicious, it begs to be made and shared with people you love.

While the many separate elements required to construct this creamy, crunchy and truly decadent dessert may seem daunting, it is actually rather simple to make.  Don't let the time requirement deter you.  Yet do leave yourself plenty of time; in addition to the various stages of assembly, the tart also needs to chill in the fridge before serving.

My version of this tart has been adapted from the wonderful Joy the Baker, who originally made it with a shortbread crust.  While I'm not a particular fan of shortbread, I was also interested in adapting the crust to include whole grains and omit the butter and sugar.  I have absolutely no problem with these ingredients in certain recipes, but I felt that the filling of this tart would be well complimented by a heartier, nuttier crust.  (And, ultimately, I'm interested in experimenting with and substituting whole foods for processed ones wherever possible.)  The crust I made instead of Joy's shortbread worked like a dream, delicious in its own right and the perfect match for the smooth almond butter and cream filling and hardened, dark chocolate it held.

Whether or not you make this tart in January (which apparently is National Staying Healthy Month) is totally your call.  Regardless, put the recipe in your back pocket, your bookmarks folder, your obsessively-organized digital recipe archive, wherever you like to put these things, and pull it out when you want to make something with love for people you love.

Honey Almond Butter Tart with Chocolate Ganache
Crust from Megan B. via My New Roots
Filling from Joy the Baker
Serves eight

Ingredients
For the Crust (to be made in a 9" removable bottom tart pan):
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup pecans
75 g (between 1/2 and 2/3 cup) whole grain flour (I used spelt flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla

For the Filling:

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup almond butter (unsweetened)

1/2 cup honey

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the Ganache:

6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

handful toasted sliced almonds, for garnish

sea salt, for garnish

Directions

Make the crust:

1.  In a food processor, blend oats and pecans until relatively finely crumbled.

2.  Add flour, salt and cinnamon and pulse a few times, until combined.

3.  Add the remaining wet ingredients and pulse until a coarse meal is formed.

4.  Grease a 9" removable bottom tart pan with coconut oil.  

5.  Place the crust mixture into the pan and, using your fingers, press the mixture evenly across the bottom and along all the sides.

6.  Pierce the bottom a few times with a fork.

7.  Put crust in freezer and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

8.  When ready to bake crust, preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C / Gas 7.

9.  Remove crust from freezer and press a sheet of aluminum foil on top, covering the surface.

10.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove the foil.  Bake for another 7 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Remove and let cool.

Make the Filling:

1.  In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.  Set aside.

2.  Using either an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand-held electric mixer and a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, almond butter and honey until creamy and fully incorporated.  Beat in salt and vanilla extract.

3.  Stir in 1/3 of the whipped heavy cream until combined.  In two rounds, lightly fold in the remainder of the heavy cream.  Filling should be light and voluminous, like a heavy mousse.  Store in fridge until the tart crust has cooled completely and you're ready to fill it.

Make the Ganache (once you have filled the crust--still in the tart pan--with the mousse filling):

1.  Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.

2.  Heat heavy cream in the microwave until steaming hot (about one minute).  

3.  Pour the cream over the chocolate and let rest for 30 seconds.

4.  Stir the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is fully melted and completely smooth.

5.  Stir in vanilla.

Finish the Tart:

1.  Pour the ganache over the filled tart and smooth to edges.

2.  Sprinkle toasted almonds and sea salt on top of the ganache.

3.  Let sit in the fridge for at least two hours before serving.