Coconut-Dark Chocolate Truffles

Last week I was invited to a dinner party. A Paleo Dinner party. If you don't know what a Paleo diet is, you can read about it here or you can Google it. I have a few friends who are making positive changes in their lives with this eating plan. At this time, I don't have plans to adopt the full lifestyle, but I am making some 'paleo' changes - adding more vegetables, less carbs, less starches and eliminating processed foods.

I wanted to bring something appropriate to the dinner, and I had just received my newest Eating Well magazine.

There were several recipes which incorporated coconut in some form. Coconut seems to be a staple in the Paleo diet, so I was intrigued when I saw these truffles. They are sweetened wholly by dates, 2 cups in fact, then mixed with coconut flour and cocoa powder. All this was mixed into a paste with my awesome Ninja blender.

After they sat overnight I rolled them into about 40 little balls. Then covered them with melted dark chocolate, then rolled in toasted coconut.

The recipe stated that after they chilled, the dark chocolate outside would create a nice crunchy coating, in contrast to the soft truffle center. Well, I really didn't believe mine would turn out that way. I had doubts, but they were gone once I tasted these. They were divine. Really, truly gourmet. No sugar, no white flour, no gluten and they tasted amazing. A definite keeper.

You can find the complete recipe here.

 After confirming with my dinner host that all the ingredients truly were on the Paleo good list, I offered to bring them to the party. I bought the dates at my local health food store, Nature's Storehouse, and the owner, my friend John, gave me the dates in return that I bring him a few truffles. What a nice guy! I dropped them off on my way to work, and the report back from him was very good.

The meal that night was superb - all whole foods, very delicious and tasty. You can read about my hostesses journey at My Healthy Challenge.

As I am trying to cut out white flour and gluten from my diet, for health reasons, the baker in me has been rebellious. It was refreshing to know that there are healthier options available to me, that taste just as good, maybe better than my over processed ingredients.

This doesn't mean I'm giving up cookies and cakes all together. But I am branching out.

Try these for yourself - you won't regret it. And even better if you have a gluten free or diabetic loved one to share them with.

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