Raw chocolate gingerbread truffles

It was Monday morning, 11am. I was at work and I was flagging. The handful of Werther’s originals hadn’t done it for me and the strawberry blondies I’d brought in just didn’t seem right. I had had my quinoa breakthrough just days before. I wanted something new! I wanted something raw!

I wanted these!

A friend had suggested over the weekend that I looked at Madeleine Shaw’s blog and so that was where I headed in search of my raw inspiration. As a newbie to the concept I thought I better start with something simple and easy to make, something that didn’t require spending a fortune at Holland and Barrett- these certainly fit the bill.

Nutritionally of course they eclipse the good old Werther’s originals – the cocao powder is rich in magnesium and calcium, the oats pack a fibrous punch and the dates provide a wonderful natural sweetness. My quick tallying up of calories puts then at less than 50 calories a pop which isn’t too shabby! All the more reason to have a second… And a third…

Really the recipe is a base to which you can add whatever you like. To these I added ginger and cinnamon- the depth of flavour you get was a brilliant surprise- the lovely cinnamon taste comes first and then followed by the warmth from the ginger- delicious! The coconut from the oil shines though, hence the addition of the desiccated coconut (and well doesn’t it look pretty!). I think I might try chocolate orange for my next batch – using orange juice instead of water and a little orange zest for added zing. And that next batch might be coming soon- this batch have almost disappeared!

I guess it’s back to Holland and Barrett I go…

Recipe

Makes approximately 17 balls (15g each- about the diameter of a 2p coin)

Adapted from Madeleine Shaw

85g oats
125g dates
1 heaped tbsp cocao powder
1tbsp coconut oil
Pinch of salt
15g ginger, grated to a pulp
1tsp cinnamon
0.5-1tsp ground ginger
1tbsp desiccated coconut to coat (optional)

• Blitz the oats in a good processor to a fine powder. Add the dates, cocao, coconut oil and salt and blitz to a paste. Add the spices and taste, adding more as you like. Add 1-2tbsp water until the mixture comes together enough to be rolled into balls (the amount will depend on how moist your dates are)
• Create your truffles by scooping mixture out an rolling it into balls in the palm of your hands
• If you are going to coat in desiccated coconut put it in a bowl and working truffle by truffle slightly dampening the ball before rolling it around in the coconut. Once they have all been coated dry your hands and carefully pat the coconut down onto the truffle to ensure it sticks properly
• Enjoy straight away or pop in the fridge in an airtight container to set a little more.