Many moons ago, I was vegan.

I never adopted a raw-food-only diet, but I surrounded myself with plenty of people who did. Now, not so much.

My husband proudly tells my family that he “cured” me of my hippie-food ways. He likes to think so. Deep down—actually not so deep—I’m still a pure food foodie. I just camouflage these tendencies by eating almost everything now.

But there are a few holdovers from my vegan-dominated diet that will never disappear from my life. This raw, vegan truffle recipe is one of them.

It was inspired by a friend from college. She made a variation of these and I devoured them, even though they weren’t meant for me. I kind of felt terrible, but not enough to actually stop eating them.

I’m not always good at following recipes. When I cook, I make most dishes based on the ingredients on hand. This drives my husband nuts. He’s an engineer, so when he cooks, measurable numbers rule the kitchen. He will often make a dish without ever tasting it before serving. I find this sacrilegious, but it works for him.

Me? I cook with approximations. I cook based on what I’m hungry for, or what happens to appeal to me. Sometimes, dill makes it into every dish I prepare during the week. Sometimes I crave fresh mozzarella and it sneaks into my shakshuka recipe.

I use a lot of loose guesstimates when measuring too. I make a Moroccan carrot soup, and it’s different every single time I make it. Sometimes, I vary the ratios based on my mood. Because of this, I’ve never actually written down one of my recipes—until now.

This means that I had to whip up a new batch of these truffles—oh no! And sample a few—or a lot. They’re practically vitamins, so feel free to splurge a bit. I won’t tell.

The recipe makes approximately 20 truffles—not including the two I ate while making them.

*Note: I think music in the kitchen is a must, so I always have something playing. I like my food to be imbued with the essence of what I’m listening to. When I think of truffles, I think of France. For this recipe, I suggest the Rupa & The April Fishes Pandora station.* 

Ingredients: 

1 cup pitted dates coarsely chopped (Medjool dates are divine, but don’t despair if all you can find are Deglet Noor dates. I live in Alaska—I know the struggle.)
1/2 cup raw, plain cashews
1/3 cup unsweetened, desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Approx. 1 tablespoon liquid coconut oil for sealing the truffles
Approx. 1/4 cup cocoa powder in a bowl

Five Easy-peasy steps:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender—except for the coconut oil and cocoa powder—and blend. The mixture will be sticky and crumbly.
2. Scoop a spoonful of the blended ingredients into coconut oil-greased palms and roll into a bite-sized truffle—my husband defines this as about 1 inch in diameter.
3. Roll the truffle through the cocoa powder generously and place on a plate—or your mouth. No judgment.
4. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture.
5. Voila! The most decadent raw, vegan truffles. Place in freezer for at least five minutes for best results.

They’re delicious directly out of the freezer, but you can also allow them to warm for a few minutes before inhaling/eating responsibly. I’m not actually sure how long these will keep. They’ve never lasted more than a couple of days in an airtight container in our freezer. Enjoy!

Feel inspired? I’d love to hear your creative variations! Please leave any decadent concoctions in the comments below.

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Author: Kenni Linden

Image: Author’s own

Editor: Nicole Cameron