I have been asked by many people how to make raw chocolate truffles. It is no secret that people love chocolate. Just the word arouses passionate responses from young and old alike. What better gift to give yourself and your friends than a treat that not only delights, but is also made from healthy ingredients! I once heard it said that desserts are the gateway to raw food. Why not open the door and give some of your non-raw friends a taste how good healthy raw desserts can be! Don’t tell the until after they have eaten them. They will be truly surprised!
The basis of this raw chocolate is Cacao Powder. Cacao is super-rich in antioxidant flavonols. The antioxidants in cacao are highly stable and easily available to human metabolism. Cacao powder has more than twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times what is found in green tea. (Cornell University). These are just a few of the healthful properties attributed to Cacao.
Filling:
- 1 C Cashews, soaked at least 3 hours
- 1/3 C Agave
- 1 C dried coconut (non sweetened)
Place drained cashews and agave in food processor. Process until smooth. Add dried coconut and mix until well combined. A ball should form. Remove half the mixture and set aside. You will be making two different fillings.
Hazelnut Filling
- 1/2 C Hazelnuts, soaked for at least 3 hours
Add hazelnuts to the mixture that is still in the food processor. Process until nuts are chopped fine and mixture is well combined.Refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
Mint Filling:
- 1/2 t Peppermint extract
Add peppermint extract to remaining mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
Assemble the Truffles:
Roll filling into 1″ balls. Place in freezer for 1 hour. While filling is setting up, make the raw chocolate.
Raw Chocolate:
- 1 C Raw Cacao Butter
- 1 t. Vanilla
- 3 T Coconut Oil
- 1/3 C Powdered Sucanat (finely ground in coffee grinder)
- 2 T Agave
- 7 oz. Cacao Powder
Melt cacao butter and coconut oil in dehydrator or over hot water. In food processor, combine melted cacao butter, coconut oil, agave and vanilla. Remove 1/2 mixture and set aside. Add 1/2 cacao powder and combine. Add sucanant and combine. Add coconut butter that was set aside and combine. Add remaining cacao powder, mix well. It should be quite liquid at this point. It will harden as it cools.
Assembly:
1. Take a filling ball and place a toothpick in it.
2. Dip it in the melted raw chocolate.
3. Holding the chocolate dipped ball over the chocolate, let the extra chocolate run off. Be patient and wait until it has all dripped off. You can slowly turn the ball while it is dripping to get better coverage.
4. Holding the chocolate covered ball upright, slide just the tip of a fork off under the ball, very carefully slide the ball onto a non-stick sheet. Repeat until all filling balls are covered. Place back in refrigerator to set chocolate.
Notes: Sucanat is not considered to be raw. It is made from the juice of the sugar cane. It is not a “processed sugar” and retains the highest nutrient value of the sugar cane (which is not exceptional, by the way).
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Holy Cow!! These are works of art, I can almost taste them looking at these photos! Also like the steps.
xo
Eco Mama
Oh my lord!! I want to lick the screen!! Is that weird? Well I do!
YUMMY! We love raw cacoa and truffles. : )
Seriously…You are a genius! I love your website. I always go on it and hope you have something new up. Thank you so much!
These look incredible Susan. Lovely as always.
Great take on the raw truffle! I make a similar recipe using almonds! They look and sound lovely!
What is Sucanat and where in a store might I find it? Also, is cacoa butter difficult to find? I found the cacao powder, but didn’t see the butter near it… maybe by the nut butters?
Thanks for this! Now I can feel good about making and sending treats to the neighbors!
There is a description of sucanat at the bottom of the recipe…check there. I get it at my coop. I think you will have to ask them where they have it. Cacao Butter most likely will have to be mail ordered. I am opening the store on the website this week…you will be able to find it there!
You read my mind. I’ve been making truffles all week. Thanks for the great new recipe to add to the repertoire!
When I first found your website I was really impressed. It looks like a professional website. I think that the items you make look amazing and your presentation is gorgeous. I have almost all of your recipes in my list of to do soon recipes.
Oh my! Those look positively decadent! I should make those as a Christmas treat for my family. That would be a really good way to show how tasty raw food can be.
Wow! It looks delicious! Can you use honey or coconut sugar instead of Sucanat? And if it’s okay to use more coconut oil or coconut butter instead of cacao butter since we do not have it in stock? Is 7 ounces cacao powder almost a cup? Thanks again! Merry Christmas everyone
Because you are making a hard chocolate…like a chocolate bar, I wouldn’t substitute more coconut oil. It is the cacao butter that sets it up. Also, I don’t think I would try the honey, completely different consistency. As far as the coconut sugar, I have no experience with it.
What a lovely presentation! This recipe look divine.
Oh, and I love coconut sugar by the way. It’s my preference over rapardura and sucanat.
I haven’t used cocnut butter either. Is it measure for measure? I have some- just havent used it. It should be healthier. Susan is it one cup before or after soaking? Thanks
You can not use coconut oil to substitute for cacao butter. Cacao butter is hard, like a brick. You will not get the same results. I also recommend measuring the cacao by weight.
Hi, I wonder how long they will last, do you have any idea? I was experimenting with truffles a while ago, and used very similiar ingridients, and they turned out really amazing, now I would like to make them more, as a christmas gifts for my friends, relatives etc, and I wonder how long they can last??. Do you have any idea also if they keep firm all the time in a room temperature? Many thanks, your blog and posts are incredibile:):)
Honestly, not being a food scientist, I do not know how long these will last. They stay hard at room temp but if you are going to keep them for a while, I would suggest refrigeration. Coconut oil has a very long shelf life as does the cacao butter.
Thank you:) From my trials, the ones with coconut oil melted pretty sooner than the other containing cacao butter. Maybe for making a christmas gifts I should avoid each one ( coconut oil & cocoa butter) and make them only with dried fruits and nuts. All the best!
Beautiful!
I’m sorry what a dope! I meant coconut sugar not butter. I have some but havent tried it yet. I did however try this lucious recipe today. Forgot to soak the hazelnuts so i did half with mint and the other half with cherry. Oh my word! Awesome! They were easy to put together and turned out looking and tasting great. The cherry ones brought bake memories fo chocolate covered cherries ( a special memory of Christmas since my Dad got all his girls a box every year). They are wonderful! How do you do it? Thanks a mil!
Beautiful recipe and photography… as usual.
Wow! These look amazing. Do you think I could make these with just agave syrup (no sucanat) or is the sucanat flavor necessary?
I have seen and made a few truffles out there, but these! They look to die for.
Sucanat is in powdered form (after putting through the coffee grinder) and agave is in liquid form. Big difference and I would be concerned as to what it would do with the consistency. Some day when I have money to burn, I will experiment.
Thanks for helping to inspire the following blogpost
WOW!!! Those look incredible. It just amazes me everyday the variety of recipes that are out there! Who wouldn’t want to go Raw!
These look so yummy! I love making my own raw chocolate too, but I used just agave or honey to sweeten and coconut oil. Yummy!
Sarah
These look really good! Could you use powdered Agave instead of the Sucanat?
I honestly don’t know…I have never tried it.
Dear Susan, I cannot find Cacaobutter arround here… Is there any alternative to Cacaobutter? I would love to make this truffels. I live at the moment in Spain and many ingredients are hard to find. Thank you very much!
Christine
Hi Susan, thanks for sharing the love
I’m wanting to try it out but am wondering at what point should I add the agave when making the raw chocolate?
Love and light
Luci