This post is by regular contributor Kyrstie Barcak of A Fresh Legacy.
Do you cringe when it is Easter and your children collect a year’s worth of chocolate treats in one hit? I do….
As my children have grown and started kinder and school the impact of Easter grows also. Both kinder and school have their own traditions where the children seem to bring along chocolate treats for the whole class. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate once in a while and am happy for my children to be gifted some as a treat. The thing that disturbs me about Easter is the potential for a huge amount of chocolate received all at once.
I decided to seek an alternate gift to make for Easter this year for the children’s friends and family. I have come up with a recipe that is still chocolate, looks (sort of) like an egg and is deliciously healthy. They are easy to make and fun for the kids to be involved in the preparation. This is what we are trying this year…
Raw Fruit Truffles
I am a little late to jump onto using Raw Cocao Powder for cooking. I use it instead of cocoa powder. The flavour is a little bitter, like you would also find with a good quality dark chocolate. Raw cocao powder is full of health benefits. It is a powerful antioxidant and a great source of magnesium, it is also said to contains vitamins A,B,C, D and E. I now use it along with cocao nibs when adding chocolate to any baked goods. It is commonly available from health food stores and some good delis. You can read more about some of the properties and benefits here.
This little snack is so simple to make that once you do it once you will be able to easily make your own variations and flavour combinations to suit your family. The combinations are endless.
The idea struck me when I saw an image on Instagram of some chocolate fruit balls that contained cocoa nibs and coconut oil, and were rolled in cocoa powder. A bell when off in my head = Easter treat!
As with any food, the quality of the ingredients you include will have an impact on the end result and flavour.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes (30 minutes with a little helper)
Makes: 25 (depending on the size that you roll)
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of fresh blueberries
- 2/3 cup of dried fruit – I used peaches and nectarines
- 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil*
- 8 tablespoons of puffed quinoa*
- 1 tablespoon of cocao powder (for coating the finished truffles)
- 1 tablespoon of desiccated coconut (for coating the finished truffles)
*Purchase these items from a health or organic store. You could use nuts if you wanted to instead of the puffed quinoa.
To make:
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender, except the cocao powder and coconut for coating the truffles
- Blend until the mixture is a thick paste with no big chunks of fruit or nuts
- Scoop out a heaped teaspoon and with wet hands roll into small, evenly sized balls
- Roll in either the coconut or the cocao powder
- Put into the fridge to set for 1 hour
- Serve
Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
If you like this recipe, I have another recipe for Chocolate Fruit Balls that you may also enjoy. I adapted this recipe from that one.
Happy Easter and holidays!
Related Posts
- Homemade Fruit Muesli Bars
- Simple Family Dinners: Chicken Burrito Recipe
- Giving Musical Eggs Instead of Chocolate This Easter
Read more of Kyrstie's adventures at http://afreshlegacy.net/.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great idea as an alternative and they sound so yummy and healthy! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thanks Jode, I appreciate your feedback. I hope that you get the chance to give them a try. They also make a great addition for kinder, school or work lunches.
{ 3 trackbacks }