I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and share these super easy and very delicious truffles...it's a bit hard to resist these little bites so make extra if you are using them for presents as I guarantee you will snack on them! A rich, decadent treat for the holiday season.

I made these delicious assortment of truffles as a present for John's sister on Christmas night. They all worked out really well and I like that the recipes aren't really particular with measurements...it's more a matter of adding a bit extra of dry or wet ingredients as needed. I admit I basically made these up as I went along so all the amounts are not 100% accurate but you should be able to get it right. These recipes are very versatile and easy to adapt in flavours as you like too...try some different combinations of nuts, spices and dried fruits etc... I wanted to do an apple pie flavoured one but ran out of time.

Each recipe makes between 20-30 truffles...I think...we ate a few on the way! Store all the truffles in the fridge to keep them fresh and the tasty.


* For the chocolate coating, I used 200g milk chocolate and 200g 70% cocoa chocolate for all four recipes. Simply melt over a very low heat in a double boiler (or bowl over pot of water,) and use a fork to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Then place on a silicon mat and allow to set in the fridge.
** To soak the dates, boil enough water to just cover them and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes. Add just the dates to the food processor, but keep the water to add if necessary to achieve the dough like consistency.

Lemon Coconut & Almond
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup dessicated coconut (plus more for rolling)
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 lemon zest, finely grated
2 tbsp maple syrup

Method
Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until a dough forms. Add more almonds or lemon juice as needed to get the right consistency. Chill in the freezer for 3o minutes and roll into small balls. Coat in dessicated coconut and allow to set in fridge.

Chocolate Gingerbread
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup pecans
5 dates, soaked in hot water**
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tbsp treacle (molasses)
2 tbsp raw cacao

Method
Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until a dough forms. Chill in the freezer for 3o minutes and roll into small balls. Dip in a mixture of milk chocolate and 70% dark chocolate and allow to set in fridge.


Chocolate Peanut & Honey
Ingredients
2/3 cup whole almonds (plus 2-3 tbsp as needed)
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp Leatherwood honey (or other fragrant, quality honey)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method
Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until a dough forms. Chill in the freezer for 3o minutes and roll into small balls. Once cold, cut into halves with a sharp knife and return to freezer to chill again. Dip halves in a mixture of 70% dark chocolate and allow to set in fridge.

Orange Pecan & Cashew
Ingredients
1 cup whole roasted cashews
1/2 cup pecans
2 tbsp dried strawberries
10 dates, soaked in hot water**
1/2 tsp orange essence
(finely chopped pistachios to decorate)

Method
Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until a dough forms. Chill in the freezer for 3o minutes and roll into small balls. Once cold, shape into cubes and return to freezer to chill again. Dip cubes in a mixture of 70% dark chocolate, sprinkling pistachios on top as you go and allow to set in fridge.