Chocolate Balls

May 15, 2012

Chocolate Balls

Chocolate balls are a very simple, healthy and delicious way to use up leftover pulp from making Raw Almond Milk (my previous post). With only three main ingredients to combine, they are ready in just a few minutes. These chocolate balls are not overly chocolatey and sweet, but are decadent enough to make you want more. There is no added sugar and they are gluten-free too. They make a great snack or dessert and if you pack them in a nice little box they make a wonderful gift.

The star of this recipe is the almond pulp, not only for its finely ground texture but also for its invaluable health benefits. Almonds are among the most nutritious nuts (although they're technically seeds).

Chocolate Balls

They provide less calories than other nuts but a higher nutrient density. What makes them stand out is that while they provide high quality, highly absorbable protein, they're also the best source of vitamin E and B2 among nuts. Almonds are also an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering dietary fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (along with hazelnuts they have the lowest saturated fat content). They pack an impressive amount of minerals, better even than spinach: high levels of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, copper, zinc and potassium. They also contain flavonoids with important antioxidant properties and phytosterols that help lower the LDL cholesterol. Soaking the amonds for a minimum of 6 hours makes them tastier and more easily digestible. The phytic acid and the enzyme inhibitors are neutralized and the nutrients are more easily absorbed.

For added heath benefits use raw cacao powder. I still had some processed organic cocoa powder so I used that. For the amazing benefits of dates please read my Raw Brownies post.

Chocolate Balls
  • 1 3/4 cups almond pulp (I removed the skin after soaking the almonds but you can leave it on while making the milk)
  • 3/4 cup soft dates (12-13)
  • 5-6 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp rum essence (or use pure rum)
I love the combination of chocolate and rum, but you can replace rum with vanilla or other flavourings, or just leave it out.


Cut the dates in half, remove the pits and finely chop them (if you have a high-powder food processor you don't need to chop them). Blend until they turn into a paste; stop once or twice to scrape down the sides of the processor.


Add the almond pulp, cocoa powder and rum essence and blend until well combined. Again you may need to scrape down the sides so it's all mixed well.


Transfer to a bowl and mix by hand for a minute until it all comes together. The mixture is only very slightly sticky. Form a big ball, that way you don't have to keep chasing crumbs in the bowl.

Take small amounts of mixture and roll them between your palms to form bite-size balls. I made 19 balls, about 2 - 2.5 cm in diameter. Leave them plain or coat them with desiccated coconut (1/3 cup). To do that, wet your hands a little bit, roll each ball in your palms and toss it in coconut. Press gently so the coconut flakes stick.

Chocolate Balls

The chocolate balls taste great once made, but they're much better after being refrigerated for at least an hour. They become firmer, the flavours are more intense and their consistency is almost fudgy. To make them even more fudgy, dry the almond pulp in a dehydrator (or oven) and use a few more dates and a bit more cocoa powder.

Enjoy and spread the magic!:)


I put a lot of time, effort and passion into each recipe I post. My greatest satisfaction comes from your feedback. If you made this recipe, please take a minute of your time to leave a comment below. And if you like it, please share it so that others have access to it as well. Thank you all in advance!

24 comments:

Vilma Reynoso

I love this blog and your recipes! Fantastic!

Vegan Magic

Thank you so much Vilma:) I'm thrilled to know that. Hugs:)

Allison

These looks absoloutly fantastic you have rolled them so they look absoloutly perfect, what would be a good addition is some goji berries and maybe some chia seeds. When I make almond milk again I will retain the pulp and give these a go (I have just had a thought, you could put in vanilla paste which will give the truffles extra vanilla flavour)

Vegan Magic

Hi Allison, thank you so much for your wonderful comment:) Well, I wasn't actually planning to make some sweet treats but also didn't want the pulp to go to waste so I used what was available. I generally add vanilla to chocolate desserts, but this time I guess I was just missing the combination with rum:) I've never used vanilla paste (only extract and essence) but now that I've seen the huge difference between natural foods and their store-bought/processed versions I definitely want to try it. Thank you for the suggestion:)

I'm not a big fan of goji berries but totally agree about chia seeds. They're already in plan for future recipes, as are hemp seeds and flax seeds.

Mary H

I made these last night, which was the first time I have made date paste. I wanted to give a couple of details to people who maybe haven't used them before, either.
The dates I got (all I could find) came pre-packaged fancy Medjool dates, and had some raisin-like shrivel, so didn't look like the fresh unwrinkled ones in the picture for this recipe. I soaked them to soften them up (plumped like raisins or cranberries).
When I pitted them, I found some had this white netting around the pit, like a husk, and wasn't sure if I had to remove that or could just paste it. The food processor broke them up just fine.
My Juicer makes a very dry pulp output, a lot drier than when I use a blender and filter out the pulp. As such, I used the water from soaking the dates and added a tablespoon at a time into the paste because it needed a little moisture; I wondered how well using actual almond milk would work, but didn't try this time. I used 5 tbsp of water in all.
I used a scooper to keep the chocolate balls about the same size. I used non-processed cocoa powder (6 tsp) and 1/2 tsp vanilla recommended as an alternative. They came out great. Reminds us of Larabar chocolate bars, but so much cheaper to make!
Thank you for the recipe. Next time I am going to try hazelnut pulp :)

Vegan Magic

Mary, thank you so much for sharing your experience. I'm very happy the chocolate balls came out great. The dates I used are dried and you can see in the third picture the white, fibrous part in the centre, I never remove it. I specified soft dates, because some kinds are very dry and work better added to a bowl of cereal. The Medjool dates that I have tried until now were very soft, even softer than these ones which are Jordanian, so they got blended very easily. I'm guessing the ones you had were not as soft, and soaking was necessary.

I would very much like to know what juicer you use, this is the second time I read about making almond milk with a juicer, and it sounds much easier and faster. Adding almond milk instead of water is great, that's what I do when the dessert I'm preparing doesn't hold together as it should. Sometimes I even like adding coconut oil, both for moisture and flavour. If you're still feeling adventurous, how about trying the Coconut Hazelnut Balls, there's no cocoa there but they are super delicious:)

I very much appreciate your input and hope your experience will help those who can't find soft dates.

Libba

What a great way to use almond pulp!! I used medjool dates and was able to process them finely even though they were cold. Since I've been using dates quite a bit lately, and wanted to lower the glycemic index a little, I decided to use some coconut sugar mixed with stevia and monkfruit powder to add sweetness, and decreased the dates to about 1/2 cup. I just opened my first bottle of homemade vanilla extract, and added 1/2 tsp. of that, along with about 1/2 tsp. of grapeseed oil to help it all stick together. They are light and delicious!! Thanks for the inspiration!!

Vegan Magic

Libba, thank you so much for the feedback:) I'm thrilled that you enjoyed these treats and were able to adjust the sugar to your needs. Even more than these, I like the coconut hazelnut balls, they're so flavourful:)

Jen

I just made these and they are so delicious! Thanks for posting the recipe! I always have so much almond pulp from milk making, and I hate throwing it away.

I didn't use the rum this time (I used vanilla instead), but next time I will. They are in the refrigerator right now, but I don't know if they will last until tomorrow!! So good!

Vegan Magic

Jen, it's so wonderful to know that you like these treats:) Thank you very much for the feedback. Funny thing is I made almond milk this morning and kept the pulp in the fridge to make balls tomorrow. I think I'll add some coconut oil, just to change the flavour a bit. Enjoy the chilled chocolate balls:)

Mr & Mrs Vegan

Hi Vegan Magic,

Thanks for this superb and easy recipe! I made them earlier today and they were such a delight:) Love reading your blog!!!

I've posted my journey in creating your recipe on our site. Check it out when you're free!

Cheers,
Roland & Priscilla

Vegan Magic

Ronald & Pricilla, thank you so much for your feedback, I'm very happy to know that you enjoyed these little treats:) I've just been over to your blog and the truffles look amazing! Thank you for giving this recipe a try!

Raw Gringo

I just made these tonight....I added some homemade almond butter and a little pumpkin pie spice, and they turned out amazing! Thanks for posting this recipe, I was trying to figure out something to do with my leftover almond pulp, and this was the perfect solution

Vegan Magic

Raw Gringo, your combination sounds fantastic! I'm very happy you enjoyed these treats. Thanks so much for writing:)

Gerry

Just made this, thanks for something so simple. I actually used the pulp instead of throwing it away after keeping it in the fridge for a few days. And it's good too. My 3 year old who doesn't eat nuts ate quite a few! Lovely and thanks. Now I'm going to explore the rest of your blog.

Vegan Magic

Gerry, that's wonderful! Kids love this kind of treats, great way to sneak in things they're not very fond of:) Thanks so much for writing, I hope you find more inspiring recipes on the blog.

Anonymous

It tastes amazing! :D great recipe, thanks! :D but i'm just wondering if there's anyway to make then look nicer. Mine didn't look as smooth as yours :( do you think that was because I didn't add enough dates?

Thanks! :)

Michelle

Vegan Magic

Michelle, thanks so much for making this recipe and for the feedback. I guess it depends on how moist the almond pulp is and how soft/dry the dates are. If the mixture is crumbly, add more date paste; if too sticky, add more pulp. I roll them right in the centre of my palms and don't press too hard. I'm sure they'll be perfect next time:)

Anonymous

Hi,I am about to try this recipes cuz it sounds fantastic! Sadly we don't have dates in my place. Can i substitute them with anything else?

Thank you very much!

Cheers from Vietnam :)

-Jessie-

Vegan Magic

Hi, Jessie! I'm glad you want to give this recipe a try. Can you find prunes there (dried but soft)? They work great and the taste is lovely. Thanks for writing and enjoy the treats if you make them:)

Anonymous

Made these tonight. Yum! Came out perfect. Did use vanilla instead. Good way to use almond pulp I had almost the exact amount. No waste! Love it! :)

Jessica

Vegan Magic

Jessica, these treats are such a delight to make and eat, I'm very happy to know you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know how it all went. Chocolate and vanilla = winner combo:)

Amanda Bunting

Awesome way to use my almond pulp after making almond milk! I used vanilla extract instead of rum and pre-soaked my dates (they were very dry). I added about 4 tablespoons of my breakfast seed mix (ground flax, pumpkin & sunflower seeds). Thank you!

Vegan Magic

Amanda, thanks so much for the feedback. I love how you added extra nutrients and cruch:)