Recipe: Walnut-crusted date and mocha truffles

These decadent bites are no-bake, dairy-free and flavour-packed.

I’m onto something here.

When you bite into one of these morsels, you first get the delicate crunch of a walnut crust, before your teeth melt into a luscious velvet-like centre of rich chocolate and coffee fudge.

I just love them.

You would never guess - but these truffles contain no dairy, gluten or refined sugar.

The chocolate fudge itself is a recipe I’ve perfected and made countless times over the last couple of years, and it just doesn’t get old.

The result is silky, smooth and super-rich.

Make sure to soak your dates for at least 30 minutes before using – this makes them easy to blend and will ensure you get a silky smooth texture (nobody wants a lumpy fudge).

You’ll also need to put the fudge in the fridge to firm up before rolling it into balls and make sure your hands are well-oiled so it doesn’t stick to them.

Serve these at a Christmas party or on Christmas Day, stacked up like a tree or displayed in a bowl.

Or, they make the most adorable Christmas gifts – I’ve gifted a few wrapped with cellophane.

They are not stereotypical Christmas flavours, so will likely be a welcome treat amongst all the gingerbread and Christmas cakes going around at this time.

Walnut-crusted date and mocha truffles

Ingredients

Makes about 30 small truffles

● 450g dried dates, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained

● 125ml pure maple syrup

● 125g coconut oil, melted

● 100g cocoa powder

● 60g hulled tahini

● 40g cornflour

● 2 tsp instant espresso powder

● 1 tsp vanilla

● ½ tsp salt

● 175g walnuts, lightly toasted and finely chopped

Method

1. Add dates, maple syrup and coconut oil to a food processor and blend until a rough paste. Add cocoa powder, tahini, cornflour, instant espresso, vanilla and salt, and blend until a thick, smooth paste. Set aside in the fridge for an hour or so, until firm.

2. When firm, use oiled hands to roll out 30g measures of the mixture into balls. You will need to oil your hands to do this, as the paste will be sticky.

3. Scatter the finely chopped walnuts onto a plate and roll each ball through it to fully coat. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for three hours or overnight, until firm.

4. Store in the fridge, and enjoy chilled.

• Olivia Moore and her Taupō business That Green Olive offer recipe development, food photography - in studio or on-location - for restaurants and cafes, recipe video creation and social media content creation. Visit Olivia’s website for more recipes: www.thatgreenolive.com.

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