real life test kitchen: healthy gingerbread truffles
Marissa of Pumpkin & Pomegranate is both a health nut (she can admit that) and a foodie. We’re thrilled to share this holiday recipe that she developed herself.
After changing my diet in order to get to a healthy size, I have battled with what to do over the holidays. Being a bit of a gourmet, I have always celebrated with food, and I see no reason why one must opt out when one has switched up their lifestyle. The only thing you really need to do is to doctor up favorite recipes or find new dishes to make part of your festive tradition. This year, the treats have been tempting me, so one night I decided to come up with something that would satisfy my desire for a holiday tidbit. These are spicy, chewy, and satisfying enough that a couple will do you. The only thing that isn’t healthy is the sugar in the chocolate, but I figure that since I used 88% dark chocolate, they are still healthier than a rum ball. Personally, I prefer them without the coating, but they are oh-so-pretty with their chocolate robes. — Marissa S. Click for Marissa’s Healthy Gingerbread Truffles!
Marissa’s Healthy Gingerbread Truffles
Ingredients:
1 C. Almonds
1 C. Walnuts
1/4 C. Raisins
3/4 C. Prunes*
1/2 C. Pitted Medjool Dates*
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Zest from 1 Orange
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
9-12 oz. Dark chocolate (I prefer 88-100%)
Candied ginger for decorating (optional)
Method:
Combine all ingredients except the chocolate in a food processor and process until the “dough” can be formed into balls.
Form into balls, place on a parchment-covered baking tray, and freeze
for at least an hour.
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate.
Take each frozen ball and dip in the chocolate to cover, shake off
excess, and set back onto the tray. Decorate with a slice of candied
ginger.
Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator or freezer until the
chocolate sets.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
*If the “dough†is too crumbly, you may need to add more prunes and/or
dates. For this recipe, my prunes weren’t very moist, so if yours are,
you might want to try adding less at first.
[...] My friend Mary has been asking me to do this for some time now, and these truffles are so pretty we thought this would be the perfect time. So Please check out my guest blog on Shelterrific! [...]
I will try to squeeze these in with everything else I hope to make, they sound–and look–delicious!
I’m sorry, but that looks disgusting.
Not the biggest fan of prunes and dates, but I love ginger and nuts so much I am craving these!
i am all over these. all the stuff that i love…
Yum! These are so getting made- especially since I can eat more if they are healthy, right?
Seriously, Beth? I would like a BOX of these. They not only look delicious, they likely don’t make you feel disgusting afterward. It’s win-win. People have an odd aversion to prunes, when actually they provide some excellent healthy sweetener.
They actually look a lot like a dessert my grandmother used to make, without the chocolate.
These really do look great. I make a lot of recipes from Pumpkin & Pomegranate. They are all very inventive and delicious.
I would never eat a prune by itself but it’s amazing how you can sneak weird ingredients into recipes and have it taste so good. I make the chocolate pudding from the Pumpkin & Pomegranate blog on a regular basis and it’s just avocado, bananas, dates, and cacao. Genius! I’m gonna make these truffles this weekend for sure.
I used to feel the same way about prunes, but then I actually ate one and I really enjoyed it. The prunes in this recipe area substitute for the molasses in gingerbread. They really add depth.
As for the comment about them looking disgusting. That is fine, we all have our likes and dislikes. Personally I have always been a huge fan of plum pudding, and these remind me a lot of what plum pudding looks like when sliced. There are many foods I don’t find visually appealing but once I tried them I realized how delicious they were. But to each their own.
Yummy!!
These look great! My MIL makes something similar every year and then rolls them in coconut. I’m sure they are not as health conscious, though. Can’t wait to try yours!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such healthy looking truffles before. I wish I had time to make some before I leave town. I love love love ginger in truffles.
If you read really old cookbooks, you find prunes use to be in TONS of recipes, as they were one of the best fruits for preserving, transporting, and storing in olden days before things could be moved about quickly and transported frozen/refrigerated. I don’t know when they got the bad rap. I’m guessing when other fruits became easier to access and sales when down, marketers went with the digestive health angle, and it backfired on them?
Dawn, I love culinary history! If you have any books to recommend I’d love to hear about them. Prunes are just dried plums. Plums are yummy!
They remind me in concept of Lara bars, which I love! If I wasn’t utterly useless in the kitchen I would totally make these. I should try to talk someone into making them for me…
[...] Buche de noel The BEST chocolate chip cookies Mint chocolate brownies Jamie Oliver’s apple pie Healthy gingerbread truffles …or get an idea from Betty Crocker’s Cooky [...]