Vegan Chocolate Avocado Truffles
Looking for a sweet treat to wow your sweetheart or best pals? These chocolate truffles are vegan, gluten-free and made with heart-healthy fats from avocado!
It’s February, and we all know that this means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. What you may not know is that February is also Heart Month – a month where the world comes together to bring awareness to heart health. In celebration of both Valentine’s Day and Heart Month, I thought I’d create a treat that you can share with your loved ones and nourish your heart at the same time. Cue these Vegan Chocolate Avocado Truffles.
You may be saying “Avocado and chocolate – together?!” but let me assure you that combined with all ingredients you won’t even taste (or see) the green stuff. However, what you will notice is the incredibly rich and creamy texture that the buttery avocados lend to these little chocolate balls of delight. What the avocado also lends is a dose of monounsaturated fat, also known as a “healthy fat” – one that we’re encouraged to choose more often (along with polyunsaturated fats) over saturated and trans fats. This is because monounsaturated fats can help to reduce our cholesterol levels which can lower or risk for heart disease and stroke.
For this recipe, you’ll need a food processor or blender. You can also make them with a set of beaters/hand-mixers but be sure to use a ripe (must be soft enough) avocado and beat it well to ensure that there are no remaining avocado chunks. The smoother and creamier the truffles, the better.
Finally, for the pink, red and white coating (in keeping with our Valentine’s/Heart Month theme), I simply used little heart-shaped sprinkles and unsweetened shredded coconut that I purchased at our local bulk-foods store. I scooped 1/4 cup of each into my food processor and processed them in 10-second intervals until I got the desired consistency I wanted (some fine pink/red/white powder with some small hearts still intact). This part is totally optional, but they turn out pretty darn cute.
Wishing you all a happy Valentine’s Day and a happy Heart Month!
Chocolate Avocado Truffles
Ingredients
- 1 large avocado, (or 2 small avocados)
- 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips, melted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Slice the avocado in half, remove peel and pit and scoop the avocado into your food processor. Process for about 30 seconds.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments to avoid burning. Once melted, pour chocolate into the food processor with the avocado and process until smooth and creamy with little to no green colour visible. Add the cocoa powder and process again.
- Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt and process until well-combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy with no lumps or chunks.
- Place the mixture in the refrigerator for a minimum of 60 minutes or overnight until it is firm enough to roll into balls.
- Blend/process the coconut and sprinkles together (as mentioned above). Roll the chocolate mixture into 12 small balls. Coat truffles in the coconut/sprinkle mixture by rolling the chocolate balls into it.
- Enjoy! And store in the refrigerator.
