CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES WITH A HEALTHY TWIST

Chocolate truffles are my ultimate favorite dessert to eat. Especially when they are made entirely with healthy and wholesome ingredients.

Can you guess the secret ingredient in this recipe? Well, obviously, it’s cooked chickpeas! It might sound a bit unusual, but chickpeas are actually an amazing ingredient for sweet treats. And if you don’t believe me, just try it yourself and I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

Chickpea peanut chocolate truffles are full of nutrients, high in protein, and very easy to make. They are rich, fudgy, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. And you can’t even taste the chickpeas.

MEET THE INGREDIENTS

These chickpea peanut chocolate truffles are made with only 6 ingredients. This is what you’ll need to make it:

Cooked chickpeas
Dates
Dry roasted peanuts
Dark chocolate (85% cacao)
Coconut cream
Agave or maple syrup

GLORIOUS CHICKPEAS

Chickpeas are one of my favorite beans. They are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and a great source of plant-based protein. They have a fairly low glycemic index so your body absorbs and digests them slowly.

Chickpeas are an incredibly versatile ingredient to cook or bake with. They can be used in a variety of dishes, both sweet and savory. If you’ve never tried chickpeas in a dessert before, I highly recommend you do. I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

NUTRITIONAL PROFILE

1 cup (164 g) cooked contains:

Calories: 269
Fat: 4.25 g
Carbs: 45 g
Protein: 14.5 g
Dietary fiber: 12.5 g

HOW TO MAKE CHICKPEA PEANUT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

You can find a complete list of ingredients with exact amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.

Melt chocolate over low heat in a medium pot. Set aside.
Melt coconut cream on low heat in a medium pot. Stir until smooth.
Drain dates and squeeze out any excess water and place them into a high-speed blender. Add chickpeas and melted coconut cream, and blend until you get a smooth paste.
Transfer the paste to a bowl. Add in melted chocolate and ground peanuts and stir until all is well combined (or use a hand mixer). Adjust sweetness by adding 1 tablespoon agave if necessary.
Place the truffle mixture into the fridge overnight.
In the morning, scoop out portions of the mixture with a teaspoon and roll them into balls with your hands. Try to roll them as quickly as possible. If you don’t get perfect bowls the first time, place them into the fridge again, for about an hour or two. Roll them again with your hands to make a perfect ball.
Toss them in ground peanuts.
Store in the fridge.

NOTE ON COCONUT CREAM

Chill full-fat canned coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight so that you can easily separate cream from the liquid. The cream should be firm enough so that you can scoop it out with a spoon.

TIPS AND HOW-TOS

Chickpeas are usually sold dried or cooked in a can. I prefer to use the dried ones and cook them myself (see How to cook chickpeas below) but if you don’t feel like cooking, just use canned chickpeas for this recipe.

HOW TO COOK CHICKPEAS

Wash chickpeas really well, add them to a large bowl, and cover with water. The chickpeas will triple in size so it’s important to add plenty of water. Soak the chickpeas for at least 12 hours, best overnight.

Drain and rinse soaked chickpeas and place them in a large pot. Cover the chickpeas with water and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until they are tender, 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours.

It’s best if you keep the lid on but slightly ajar allowing some steam to escape while cooking. Keep an eye on the water level during cooking and top up with fresh hot water from time to time if needed.

Keep cooked chickpeas in the fridge for 3-4 days.

And remember, dried chickpeas triple in size when cooked so 1 cup of dried chickpeas will make about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas.