Rosemary and Pine Nut Chocolate Truffles

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Chocolate Rosemary Pine Nut Truffles

Chocolate Cravings

When I want chocolate, I just do.  And I'd better have it.  To be honest, I am finding that the more real whole food I eat, the less often I have those cravings.  But I still do.  So I like to have chocolate on hand when that moment strikes.  With Valentine's Day coming, I thought it would be fun to make some heart-shaped chocolates.  I'll make some today, and then I will have to make some the day before Valentine's Day for Valentine's Day. 

Italy

When I dream of a special place, where is it that I dream of?  Italy.  So of course these truffles have an Italian vibe.  They're made with a pine nut and rosemary cream.  Yes, really!

Making the Truffles

In this recipe, I use soaked pine nuts to make a creamy dairy-free base.  Did you know it's super easy to use pine nuts to make creamy awesomeness?!  They're softer, so no straining through a bag required.  Once soaked, just blend and go.  This is groundbreaking for me.  The only guilty pleasure in this recipe:  chocolate chips.  There are worse things.

Start with soaking the pine nuts.  

 

 

The pine nuts above have been soaking for at least two hours.  You can see they're swollen and lighter in color.  Their original color is visible where they weren't covered with water.  Not a big deal, but you probably want to cover more than I did - at least a half inch above the pine nuts.

 

 

After rinsing the soaked pine nuts, add them to your high speed blender with a date, water, rosemary, and vanilla.  If you want a very subtle rosemary flavor, use a tablespoon.  To taste it in the forefront a bit more, use two.  Blend until smooth to create a wonderful cream.

 

 

 

Place the chocolate into the candy molds by the teaspoon.  Double-check once in awhile to make sure the molds are full.  Oh, and make sure you leave a little for yourself in the bottom of the chocolate pot!  You can eat that while you are freezing the candy. 

 

 

A little mess here and there?  No problem.  Just a little swipe of the finger or a towel can take care of that.  Maybe a good opportunity to taste?  You can also use the side of a spatula to smooth it out.  Carefully jostle and tap the sheet on the counter to smooth, too.  Should you stress about how smooth they are?  Absolutely not.  They don't need to be smooth to taste amazing, and these are the backs after all.  Once satisfied, sprinkle with the pink salt, being careful to only use the teensiest amount on each one.  Freeze at least four hours to make sure they're solid.  (That's why you need some left in the bowl to hold you over.)  If they pop out easily, they're done!

Vegan Rosemary Pine Nut Truffles for Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day coming, I thought it would be fun to make some heart-shaped chocolates.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: vegan

Keyword: chocolate, truffles, Valentine's Day

Servings: 14

Fiber: 2.3g

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Equipment

• truffle mold
• high speed blender
• cooktop
• double boiler or pots and pans
• baking sheet
• freezer

Ingredients

• ½ cup pine nuts
• 1 date
• ½ cup water
• 1-2 tablespoons rosemary
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups nondairy chocolate chips
• about 1 teaspoon pink salt for sprinkling

Instructions

• Soak the cashews in enough water to cover for at least two hours.
• Rinse the cashews and place them in a high speed blender. Add the date, water, rosemary, and vanilla and blend well until very smooth.
• Pour the creamy mixture into a pot and add the chocolate chips. Place the pot into a pan and put them on a burner. Add about an inch of water to the pan to create a double boiler. Turn heat up to medium-high and stir frequently until chocolate has melted. Remove from heat.
• Place the candy molds onto a cookie sheet or baking tray to keep them from sliding or wobbling. Place the pot with melted chocolate onto a hot pad next to the sheet of candy molds. Use a teaspoon to carefully drop spoonfuls of chocolate into each mold. Make sure each mold has enough chocolate to fill the mold.
• Once the molds are all filled, give the cookie sheet a shake. Carefully bang it against the counter a few times to help settle the chocolate. Use the side of a spatula to smooth if you'd like.
• Sprinkle the tiniest amount of pink salt over the tops, careful not to get too much on any one chocolate.
• Make room in your freezer for the cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet with filled candy molds into the freezer and chill for at least four hours.
• When the chocolates are cold enough, they will pop out of the molds without changing form. If the chocolate moves or bends when removing it from the mold, it's not done. Place it back in the freezer. If it pops out, put chocolates on a serving plate to enjoy immediately, or put in a container lined with parchment and chill until ready to eat.

Notes

Makes about 28 1 ½ inch truffles.

 

The conversions and nutrition information are calculated automatically and I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. I encourage you to confirm this information with your favorite unit conversion/nutrition calculator if you would like to be more certain. 

Nutrition

Calories: 181.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.4g | Protein: 2.2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5.8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 1.5mg | Sodium: 169.3mg | Potassium: 177.4mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 9.8g | Vitamin A: 18.6IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 18.9mg | Iron: 1.9mg

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