No one will ever guess - or even care - that these Cherry Truffles are ultra healthy. They are ooey-gooey chocolaty, sticky-sweet divinity, with a gushing cherry in the middle. Who doesn't love that?! They remind me a bit of a cordial cherry, but softer, with a more balanced sweetness. Chocolate and cherry are a classic combo! Plus, they're easily customized!
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While cherry truffles may be perfection at Valentine's Day, they're so fun to have virtually any time! And since we use frozen cherries, you don't have to wait for cherry season.
Dates and cocoa powder combine for super simple date truffles, so you will also want to try them in our no bake Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies! Kids and adults alike love them!
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Heart health benefits of cherry truffles
Dates
I love dates for their natural caramel-like sweetness. Because they're a whole food, they're full of fiber and other nutrients that refined sugar just doesn't have. They boast a good amount of potassium, magnesium, and manganese as well. Because they are a dried fruit, they are a little high on the calorie side, so be sure to consume them in moderation. These chocolate cherry truffles are a great way to eat them!
Cashews
Cashews are a great addition to heart healthy diets! They are high in heart healthy fats, mostly in the form of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (polyunsaturated fats). In addition, they're a good source of magnesium. While they are higher in saturated fat than other nuts, cashews have been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol, making them a great addition to your diet (1).
Cocoa
You've no doubt heard of the supposed health benefits of chocolate. But those benefits don't really apply to chocolate bars. Unless you're eating the darkest of dark chocolate, all the extras you get along with that cocoa, like cocoa butter, whole milk, and sugar, can negate the healthy effects.
But adding cocoa powder to otherwise healthy foods, like these cherry chocolate truffles, can enhance heart health! Cocoa has been found to be overall anti inflammatory, probably due to its high antioxidant content. Research on other effects cocoa may have on the heart is conflicting. So for now, choose the darkest chocolate you can (the darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants it contains), and consume small amounts at a time.
Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are excellent binders, because they absorb water and become gel-like. That helps hold these treats together. That same property may help them decrease your cholesterol!
They are an excellent source of fiber, and contain mainly omega-3 fats. Chia seeds do have a notable amount of calcium and manganese, too. They have a tough outer layer that is hard for us to digest, so they offer far more nutrition when they are ground.
Ingredients
Only a handful of ingredients are needed for our cherry chocolate truffles.
- Dried dates
- Cashews
- Cocoa powder
- Frozen cherrie
- Ground chia seeds
- Vanilla extract
- Water
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The steps for making these date truffles are simple, but you will need a few specific items for success.
Combine all the truffle ingredients, except the water and cherries, in a food processor.
Process on high until all the ingredients are fully ground, and resemble coarse sand.
While the processor is running, drizzle water, 1 tablespoon at a time, into the mix, until it comes together in a thick, sticky dough.
Wearing plastic food prep gloves, measure out a heaping tablespoon of dough and form it into a bowl shape.
Place a frozen cherry in the middle of the bowl shaped dough.
Carefully form the dough around the cherry, sealing all opening to prevent the juices from leaking out, and roll it into a ball.
Roll the cherry truffle in cocoa powder...
Or shredded coconut...
Or ground almonds! Or anything else you'd like to coat them with!
Repeat until you've used up all the truffle dough.
Hint: you will want to leave the cherries frozen until it's time to use them. Otherwise you will have a juicy, soggy mess trying to seal them inside the date dough.
Substitutions
While you definitely don't want to substitute anything for the dates or cocoa, other ingredients are more flexible if needed.
- Chia - instead of chia seeds, you can use ground flax the same way
- Cherries - use another small frozen fruit, like blueberries or raspberries
- Nuts - use another nut of your choices - walnuts are great - or use sunflower seeds to make it nut free
Equipment
There are a few items that are very important for the success of these chocolate cherry truffles.
First, you will want a sturdy food processor. Chopping by hand just won't cut it for this recipe. I use this Hamilton Beach food processor (affiliate link), and it's been wonderful.
Another absolute necessity for these truffles is plastic food prep gloves (affiliate link). I have tried to make these without gloves, and the dough is just too sticky. You can get them at the link I've provided, or they are also available at most any store with a pharmacy - exam gloves work just as well!
Storage
Store the cherry truffles in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. If you don't want to eat them cold, you can pull them out and warm them on the counter for an hour before you want to have them.
You should not try to freeze these.
Top tip
Use food prep gloves or exam gloves to make these truffles! I promise they are worth purchasing for this.
FAQ
Freezing these cherry truffles is not recommended.
Yes, as long as it is small enough to fit inside the truffle. Blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries would all be great!
Related
Looking for other dessert recipes like this? Try these:
You must use the category name, not a URL, in the category field.Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with these easy cherry truffles:
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📖 Recipe
Cherry Truffles
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup pitted dried Dates
- ½ cup Raw Cashews (or Sunflower Seeds to make nut free)
- 5 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ¼ cup ground Chia Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (or Almond extract)
- 2-3 tablespoon Water, as needed
- 14 Frozen Cherries
- For finishing: Cocoa powder, shredded coconut, ground almonds, etc.
Instructions
- Add the first 5 ingredients to a food processor, and process on high until well blended, scraping down sides as needed. The mixture should resemble coarse sand.
- Add water, a tablespoon at a time, to the running food processor, until the mixture forms a thick, dough-like consistency.
- Using plastic gloves, measure out 1 tablespoon of the mixture, and carefully form it into a bowl shape.
- Place one frozen cherry in the dough "bowl", and form the dough around it to make a sphere. Smooth out the sphere so no liquid can leak out.
- Roll the truffle in cocoa powder, shredded coconut, ground almonds, or anything else you desire.
- Repeat with remaining mixture.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is an estimate, and will change based on the brand and individual ingredients and amounts you use. This is provided for your convenience only.
Food safety
Safety is our top priority in the kitchen! Always keep these tips in mind.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands before touching food, and after touching raw meat, your hair, face, pets, etc.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour if the weather is hot)
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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