Chocolate Zucchini Truffles
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • ½ small zucchini, cut into chunks (2 oz)
  • 15 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped into quarters (a little more than 1 c packed)
  • 1 c raw walnuts
  • ¼ c + 2 tsp high-quality cocoa powder* (I like Ghirardelli, but use certified gluten-free if needed)
  • Additional cocoa powder or other toppings to coat truffles
Directions
  1. Fit a food processor with a standard S-blade.
  2. Process walnuts for 30 seconds–1 minute, or until the ground walnuts look like sand (but not so long that you make walnut butter). Remove walnuts from the processor and set aside.
  3. Your walnuts should look like this.
  4. Place zucchini in processor and process for 20–30 seconds, pulsing and scraping the sides as you go, until pulverized to a coarse “dust.” (Like cauliflower rice, but finer.)
  5. Remove from food processor and squeeze the water out of the zucchini using paper towels or a clean flour sack towel. Don’t skimp; you want to get as much water out as possible.
  6. Process the dates, cocoa powder, and pulverized walnuts together for 15–30 seconds, until the mixture looks like chunky dirt. (I know, yum, right? But that’s exactly how it’ll look!)
  7. Add the zucchini and process another 10–15 seconds until evenly distributed. If the truffle “dough” starts to collect into a large ball and whump around your food processor, you’re done!
  8. Form the dough into 1-inch balls for medium truffles or 1¼-inch balls for large truffles. The dough will be soft, but should be able to roll easily. If you find it’s too sticky to work with, wrap it in plastic and place it in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.
  9. Roll each truffle in a bowl filled with your topping of choice—I like cocoa powder, or chopped pistachios to echo the green of the zucchini. However, you could also use toasted coconut, chopped peanuts, or any other topping that strikes your fancy.
  10. Serve and enjoy, refrigerating any leftover truffles.
  11. Note: Truffles can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated without coating. Then, a few minutes before serving, remove them from the fridge, allow to warm slightly, and roll in toppings. Yum!
  12. *To keep it raw, swap cacao powder for the cocoa. (And let me know how it turns out!)
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2 Calories: 223 Fat: 9g Saturated fat: 1g Carbohydrates: 38g Sugar: 30g Sodium: 2mg Fiber: 5g Protein: 4g Cholesterol: 0mg
Recipe by Veggie Quest at https://www.veggie-quest.com/2013/06/chocolate-zucchini-truffles-vegan-no/