Vegan Truffles (without a coconut aftertaste!)

Serves: 30
Prep: ≤15 mins
Chilling: 75 mins
Assembly: 35 mins (Dependant on skill and/or the number of kitchen helpers!)
Tools: Pot and bowl (or a double broiler!), spatula, whisk, a large/wide dish, cling flim, teaspoon or melon baller, parchment paper, mini muffin casings.

Notes:

This recipe is a real gem for those looking for a great ‘Free From’ Christmas alternative. It’s a dairy free, soya free, gluten free, nut free and ‘coconut-tasting free’ chocolate dessert- our silky smooth and deviously rich vegan truffles! 

This type of of dessert recipe is not something you will see frequently or typically see on our blog, because let’s be honest, consuming these everyday, week or month is not eating2health! However, it is Christmas and we wanted to help provide you with another vegan/dairy-free recipe that the whole family can enjoy without a huge price tag! Forget paying a small fortune on brand name dairy free truffles, these are a fantastic, cheap and an easy alternative!

After doing some cursory searches, it seems that there is more dairy free truffles with coconut cream and/or coconut oil (as you can infer from our recipe title- we’re not big on coconut!) as opposed to DF cream alternatives- and were not talking about the ‘health food versions’! After a tasty trial run (with oat cream!), we have created our own take on vegan truffles! A few good things to note about this recipe include:

• Overall, the prep is ridiculously easy. The oat cream (as it contains a bunch of natural and added thickens), thickens the chocolate truffle mixture straight away. As a result, the mixture sets quite quickly in the fridge; it took one hour and fifteen minutes; faster than most vegan truffle recipes out there! As for the assembly, turn it into a family event; having a little helper(s) will help speed up the assembly!

• A ‘melon baller’ is the perfect size scoop for these truffles. We initially tried using an ice cream scoop, but it was too big! We were more successful using a small teaspoon to gather some of the mixture; we created thirty bite-sized truffles!

• When shaping the truffles, mould the mixture gently and quickly in your hands (as it has a tenancy to go a little slimy with body heat) – which is why we don’t recommend ‘rolling’ the mixture in between your hands!

• If you mould and shape a bunch of truffles before coating them in one of your delicious toppings, you’ll notice they’ll start forming a thin skin, but this is OK! They will still be a bit ‘tacky’, but this will actually make the dipping and coating process a little easier! 

• The kid in you will want to dip and coat your truffles in some random OCD pattern (it is Christmas afterall!), however it’s quicker to dip several truffles in one topping and then move onto the next one… but this is only a suggestion! We are not trying to be a Christmas Grinch! 😛

• The flavouring of this mixture is versatile! Instead of vanilla, add a drop of brandy, rum or coffee, use a flavoured bar of chocolate instead of plain, push a small nut or dried fruit into the centre of your prepared truffles, add crushed nuts to the truffle mixture before setting it, or simply mix it up by using numerous toppings. We opted for stem ginger, toasted coconut, cocoa powder, roasted hazelnuts and toasted pistachios! We aimed for a balance of flavours and textures; they are all tasty, but nuts are definitely our favourite! Mmm, hazelnut!

These truffles are great for dinner parties, seasonal holidays and/or when you are looking for a great, personable and edible gift! Just place the truffles in some fun and festive mini muffin casings and then gift them in a small and decorative box- your friends will be so pleased! This recipe is also great for those that want a ‘little something’ at Christmas, but do not want to be faced with four pounds of leftovers to finish off or to push onto others before the New Year! #excessive-baking-doesnt-help-anyone

Happy cooking everyone! 🙂

 

Odourless coconut: it’s steamed to remove it’s coconutty taste, it’s just a shame that it doesn’t reduce it’s saturated fat content too!

 

Ingredients

+++++++++++++++++300g      70% Dairy Free Dark Chocolate
+++++++++++++++++60g        Odourless Coconut Oil (at room temperature)
+++++++++++++++++170ml     Oat cream (at room temperature)
+++++++++++++++++1 tsp        Vanilla Paste

Need an easy-print recipe? Print here. 🙂

 

 

Directions

• If applicable, fill your double broiler with some water and melt the chocolate according to your manufacturing guidelines. If you’re like us (and do not own one!), find a suitable pot and bowl and create an impromptu DIY broiler! Depending on the size of your pot, fill it with ¼ cold water, then place a bowl that is large enough to sit over the top of (not inside) of the pot NB: We used a small pot and filled it with about one inch of water; we didn’t have any larger bowls or pots that ‘matched’ in size, but use a larger combination if you have it. Tip: Only put enough water to gently heat and melt the chocolate; the water should not be touching the base of your bowl whilst cooking!

• Place the pot and bowl over a medium-low heat. Break up the chocolate and add it into the bowl. When the water boils, reduce to a simmer and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring it with a spatula or spoon as it does. Tip: If you’re using a standard pot and bowl, this can take about 6-8 mins, so be patient.

 

Once the chocolate has melted, remove the broiler or pot and bowl from the heat. Add the coconut oil and stir through until it is completely melted. NB: We added it after transferring the chocolate into a dish (as you’ll see in the next step); it’s recommended in this order because the chocolate will start cooling down quite fast once it leaves the ‘warm bowl’ and it’s important to melt all of the oil! 

 

 

• Carefully remove the bowl from the pot (it will still be hot!). Pour the mixture into a large and wide dish (we used a casserole dish!). Use a silicone spatula to help scrap out all of the melted chocolate. Tip: A large and wide dish makes it easier for when you need to scoop out your mixture, it will also allow it to set quicker in the fridge and this type of dish (at least for us) fits into our fridge with more ease.

• Whilst whisking, pour in your oat cream. Whisk until the cream is thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla paste and fold it through with your spatula. Use the spatula to scrape down the sides, so that all of the chocolate is at the base of the dish. Cover with a sheet of cling film. Place into the fridge for 1h15mins or until the mixture is firm yet pliable.

 

In the meantime you can:

• prepare any tasting toppings you might be using!
• find your mini muffin casings.
• line a plate with some parchment paper .
• get a separate tray or plastic container to transfer the prepared truffles ready.
• wash your dishes!

 

 

Remove the truffle mixture from the fridge.

 

 

Scoop some of the mixture using a teaspoon or melon baller. Place it into the palm of your hands and shape/mould it into a ball. Place it onto the lined plate until you roll it in your toppings! Once you have quite a few, dip and coat them into your toppings (if applicable); gently roll the truffle between your hands to secure any larger toppings (like nuts!) Place the truffles into mini muffin casings and then onto your separate tray (or into a container as appropriate). Repeat until all of the mixture has been used. Tip: We made thirty small truffles! 

 

 

Place the truffles into an air tight and resealable container and return them to the fridge for about 15 mins to firm up.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Refrigerate the truffles in an air tight and resealable container (layer between sheets of parchment paper if necessary); best consumed within 7-10 days.

 

*Nutritional Info/(approx. for 30 servings): 83 Kcal, 1g Protein, 3.6g CHO, 3g sugar, 6.8g Fat, 4.3g S/Fat, 0.02g Salt

*NB: Based on using our ingredients without any added toppings. Looking for a topping that is lower in fat and sugar, dust with some cacao powder. For some lower-fat nut options, stick to  ground almonds, peanuts, chestnuts or pistachios. Alternatively, placing one nut into the centre of each truffle will contain less fat than coating it in chopped nuts!