Recipes: Raw Chocolate Holiday Truffles

Posted by Claire Ragozzino

I woke up this morning to time frozen still.  A thick layer of ice caressed the trees and blanketed the grass, and even though the sun had risen the world still seemed to sleep. Winter was here.  On its eve, solstice had ushered in its wintry beauty and a deep sense of calm over the city.  This is what I love most about the holidays. That comforting sense of hibernation, the closeness it brings with friends and family…

Christmas is always a magical time for me.  It’s a time of connection, a time of sharing, a time of growing and showing your love for those around you.  My mother and I have created these little holiday traditions over the years that we cherish dearly. No matter our age or where we’re living, we always seem to come together to recreate these sacred small rituals that make this time of year so special.

Our holiday rituals commence with a trip to finding the perfect fresh Fir tree, always selected the weekend after my birthday (for some reason we’ve deemed it sacrilegious to begin holiday festivities before December 7th). We decorate the tree sipping homemade eggnog – over the years it’s evolved from the real deal (boozy and non-boozy) to the real healthy deal, which is now some variation of a raw vegan macadamia nut nog I alchemize a little differently each season. There’s always healthy dose of A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack playing endlessly throughout the weeks surrounding Christmas. And without fail we snuggle up together watching the 90s version of Little Women while stringing popcorn and cranberry garlands to complete our tree. It’s so cozy and lovely, and perhaps one my most cherished moments that only gets sweeter each year.

Going on 21 years now, The Nutcracker ballet has also persisted as a beloved tradition of ours.  If I wasn’t dancing in it,  we were traveling to see a new company’s version of the holiday classic, all dressed up and a little weepy from the story and its beauty.  Then by Christmas eve, we prepare a big feast for two and open a single present.  Christmas morning is leisurely, and usually filled with laughter watching our cats tear through piles of wrapping paper and ribbon.

Christmas is certainly a joyful time for me.  I’ve started sharing this joy with friends and family through chocolate. All the flavors of my holiday traditions – from hanging candy canes on the tree as a kid, stringing cranberry and popcorn garlands, sipping faux egg nog, and making gingerbread man ornaments – seemed to roll into a tiny bite size memory with these recipes.

This year I made three varieties of truffles: peppermint, orange cranberry, and gingerbread.  I used coconut butter, raw honey and raw cacao as the base of the truffles.  Young Living essential oils, like orange, peppermint and cinnamon, flavored the truffles along with ground spices and dried fruit.

There are several ways you can go about making these truffles.  I work through the process of tempering raw chocolate to make the hard shell shelf-stable.  However, if you don’t have access to the cacao butter/paste needed to make the hard chocolate shell of the truffles, then you can simply roll them in a topping of your choice and place them in the fridge or freezer to firm up.  For simplicity’s sake, I have provided the basic rolled truffle recipes and will leave chocolate tempering for a more in depth lesson at a later date! Until then, put on this holiday mix and savor the sweetness of the holidays with me.

HOLIDAY SPICED SUPERFOOD TRUFFLES

Gingerbread
3/4 c cacao powder
1/2 c coconut butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 c raw honey
3 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt
Optional: 1/2 tsp maca powder

Combine the coconut butter, coconut oil, cacao powder and raw honey in a bowl, mix until well combined.  Then add the remaining sweeteners and spices to flavor. Roll into small 1/2-inch to 1-inch balls, depending on your desired size of truffles. Dust with a heavy sprinkling of cinnamon to finish. Store rolled truffles in the fridge to hold until ready to eat or share.

Note: If dough is too oily to roll, place in freezer for 10 minutes before rolling. 

Orange Cranberry
3/4 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup coconut butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 tsp orange extract (or 10 drops Young Living orange essential oil)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

orange zest
chopped pistachios

Combine the coconut butter, coconut oil, cacao powder and raw honey in a bowl, mix until well combined.  Then add the remaining sweeteners and spices to flavor. Roll into small 1/2-inch to 1-inch balls, depending on your desired size of truffles.  Roll truffles in chopped pistachios and orange zest. Store rolled truffles in the fridge to hold until ready to eat or share.

Note: If dough is too oily to roll, place in freezer for 10 minutes before rolling. 

Peppermint
1/2 cup coconut butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
3/4 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup raw honey
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tsp peppermint extract (or 10 drops Young Living peppermint essential oil)

Combine the coconut butter, coconut oil, cacao powder and raw honey in a bowl, mix until well combined.  Then add the remaining sweeteners and spices to flavor. Roll into small 1/2-inch to 1-inch balls, depending on your desired size of truffles.  Roll truffles in cacao powder, or coat with a hard chocolate shell.  Store rolled truffles in the fridge to hold until ready to eat or share.

Note: If dough is too oily to roll, place in freezer for 10 minutes before rolling.