Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles

These little truffles have been something I have been making for the last year or so now, but never officially created a recipe for it. I thought I would finally share this little gem with you all! I LOVE these as a mid-day or evening snack when I am feeling something sweet but don't want to bake something with a bunch of flour, sugar, you get the gist. They are quite quick to prepare and you can double this recipe if you want a large amount to grab and go throughout the week for you, your hubby, your kids, etc.

The basis of the filling is dates, which I love using for healthier, no-bake recipes. They can usually be found in the baking aisle with other dried fruit or nuts. But I get a large green container of them at Superstore that are usually at the back of the produce section near the bulk. If you are allergic to peanuts or do not enjoy peanut butter, any nut butter could be used instead but will just alter the taste. If you want to make these healthier, you could omit the melted chocolate and just coat them with shredded coconut, hemp seeds, cocoa powder, the list goes on. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do, and trust me they will not last long!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles (makes 10-11 large truffles)

Ingredients:

-11-12 dates (pitted)

- heaping 1/3 cup natural smooth peanut butter (I used salted)

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 cup quick oats

-a pinch of salt (if you used unsalted nut butter**)

-3/4 - 1 cup vegan chocolate chips or chocolate bar chopped (use 1 cup if you want all the truffles completely coated in chocolate)

-hemp seeds (optional for topping)

Directions:

1. Grab a large plate and line it with a piece of parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, add the dates and some hot water to cover them. Let them soak to soften for a bit for around 5 minutes.

3. After 5 minutes, drain the water. In a food processor, add the softened dates and blend them for a minute or so. If they are not blending, add 1 to 2 tsp of water to get it moving. It does not need to be completed blended, just into smaller pieces and starting to turn into a caramel colour.

4. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract to the food processor. Blend the ingredients together until it is smooth, sticky and a caramel colour. There will still be a few small pieces of dates, that is okay.

5. Add the quick oats to the food processor and blend until it forms a sticky dough. It may roll into a ball while blending in the food processor. You may need to scrape down the sides while blending.

6. Grease your hands with coconut oil or pam spray so the dough does not stick to you (if it does stick to you a bit, that is fine). Roll the dough into truffles/balls and set on your parchment plate. It will make around 10-11 larger truffles or 15 smaller ones.

7. Let them sit in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.

8. To a medium bowl, add the chocolate and melt in the microwave in 30-second increments. Stir every 30 seconds until it is completely melted and smooth. Mine took around 1 to 1 & 1/2 minutes.

9. Remove the truffles from the fridge and coat them in the chocolate. I did a mix of completely coated, some with a chocolate drizzle and others dipped on the top. You can do whatever you like, depending how chocolatey you want them.

10. Add each coated one to the parchment plate. This is where you can top them with any item of your choice such as hemp seeds, shredded coconut, or chopped peanuts.

11. Let them sit in the fridge for 20-30 minutes for the chocolate to completely solidify. You can eat them immediately or store them in an air-tight container for up to 4 to 5 days, but I doubt they will last that long!

*If you do not have a food processor, you could use a blender instead to blend the dates and then combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon or spatula. It just will be a little harder to combine.*