WHOLE 30 | PALEO | KETO | VEGAN
Chocolatey. Nutty. Sweet-salty. Chewy. Sound like a fabulous treat? Maybe like a truffle, even? Yes. But here’s the magical thing about my No-Bake Nutty Chocolate Bombs: they’re completely clean. No sugar, no dairy, no gluten, no grains. All you need is five ingredients and a food processor and you’ll have a batch of rich, decadent-tasting treats in less than 15 minutes.
I’m not exaggerating when I say these taste like truffles, people. Truffles you can feel totally healthy about eating anytime. Even for breakfast.
I’m two weeks into the Whole30 and I’m happy to report that I’m feeling really good. I’m past the withdrawal headaches, the all-day fatigue, and most of the cravings. I still get a hankering for a little something sweet, though. I’ve been noshing on fruit when the sugar demon strikes, but the other night I JUST WANTED CHOCOLATE OMG. So I raided my pantry and whipped these up on the fly.
We start with dates, which taste richly caramel-ly and sweet but have a low glycemic index, which means they won’t cause your blood sugar to spike in the same way processed sugar or even honey can do. They’re also high in fiber and antioxidants. Yay, dates. Dates are giving me life on the Whole30.
Then we add some almond butter for its flavor, texture, and to help bind things together. My favorite is the kind you grind yourself at health food stores – I just prefer the texture – but you can use any variety you wish, as long as it doesn’t have any added sugar.
Add a little vanilla and cocoa powder, blitz the mixture to a nice uniform consistency, and scoop up tablespoonfuls. Roll each into a ball, then give it a dunk in finely chopped toasted pecans spiked with a wee bit of salt.
Be sure to toast your pecans! It really amps up the nutty flavor and takes these up a serious notch.
I made a double batch of these earlier this week and passed them out at the yoga studio. People were taking seconds (and maybe thirds) and I had several immediate requests for the recipe. They were a hit, I’d say.
I mean, look at that texture.
I’m gonna continue to make these after I finish Whole30, just because I pretty much always crave chocolate, and if I can get that hit with no sugar? They’re staying in my permanent rotation. Although after Whole30, you can bet I’ll be enjoying mine with a big ol’ glass of cabernet.
Want more healthy recipes? Check out my Clean Eating section!
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No-Bake Nutty Chocolate Bombs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: none!
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 15–20 balls 1x
Description
Truffles for breakfast! These rich, chocolatey, nutty treats are the perfect clean bite to satisfy your sweet cravings. Compliant with Whole30, keto, paleo, and vegan diets.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pitted dates (I use medjool, but any variety will work)
3/4 cup almond butter (see note)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans
pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
1. In a dry saute pan, toast the pecans over medium-high heat until fragrant and nutty (they begin to burn quickly, so keep a close eye on them!). Allow the nuts to cool, then chop very finely to a sand-like consistency (a nut grinder works great for this), and mix in a pinch of salt.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, place the dates, almond butter, and vanilla. Pulse until the consistency is uniform.
3. Add the cocoa powder and pulse until fully incorporated. Mixture should look crumbly but moist.
4. Using a tablespoon, scoop a small amount of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Roll the ball in the salted pecans and repeat with remaining dough. Eat immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
… Be sure to pit your dates! I forgot the first time I made these, and fishing all the pits out after the fact was not so fun.
…I use the grind-it-yourself almond butter available in many health food stores. If you use prepared almond butter, be sure to look for sugar-free varieties, stirring well if any oil separation has occurred.
… if doubling or tripling this recipe (which I predict you’ll want to do), I recommend blitzing single batches at a time. Double the amount of dates and almond butter was a bit too much for my processor to handle efficiently.
Holy yum!
Thanks, Tina!
That hit of a little it of salt is like heaven!!!
Sooooo gooood!
Can’t believe how easy these are to make and how delicious they are. My new go to snack after dinner.
It’s my husband’s favorite after-dinner treat, too!
These are SO good!! I have to give them away or I eat them all! And so easy to make. My new favorite treat 😁
Same! 🙂