Truffles. THE decadent candy. Butter and sugar and flavors coming together in the perfect proportions to create a melt-in-your-mouth sinful candy experience. But I’m vegan, I whined. Will I need to turn my back on my dietary preferences and REALLY sin? turns out, no! Just in time for Valentines Day, a vegan truffle appeared in my Facebook feed, compliments of VegNews Magazine and the Healthy. Happy. Life. blog at lunchbox.com. Cake Batter Truffles. Who doesn’t love cake batter?! A quick pantry check revealed everything I needed to make these exquisite little yummies.
The original recipe said it made 9 truffles. Seemed hardly worth the effort, and I was worried it wouldn’t be enough to process properly, so I doubled the recipe. Then I decided that chocolate and espresso might make this even more of a party; why not make half of them mocha?!
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 2/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
- 5 Tbsp liquid sweetener (I used agave)
- 4 Tbsp non-dairy milk, warmed
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- a couple pinches of pink salt
- sprinkles of your choice–1 tsp to fold into half, the rest to coat the truffles
- 2 TBSP cocoa powder (optional–amount is enough to flavor half of this truffle batch)
- 2 tsp espresso powder (optional–amount is enough to flavor half of this truffle batch)
Start by soaking your cashews in enough water to cover them by an inch. At least a few hours, overnight is best.
When cashews have soaked, melt the coconut oil over low heat.
Combine cashews, coconut oil, agave, non-dairy milk, vanilla, and salt in a food processor.
Process until silky smooth.
If making two flavors, divide into two seal-able containers that will fit into your freezer.
Fold in 1 tsp sprinkles in one container, fold in cocoa and espresso powder into the other.
Most of the sprinkles melted into my cake batter-flavored half. The resulting pink hue was not a problem as I wanted them for Valentines anyway. Freeze until firm enough to form into balls, but not too stiff. I found the mocha truffle half firmed up quicker and was much easier to work with.
When firm, work quickly to scoop the truffle mixes and form into balls. (The heat of your hands will melt them a bit.) Quickly roll in sprinkles and place in an oiled pan. This pan will need to fit into your freezer as well.
Once again, freeze until firm. The cake batter ones slumped a bit; not affecting their yumminess at all. 😉
Serve frozen. Pack into cute little Valentine tins with mini-muffin liners if you choose. I shop the after-Valentines sale for these sorts of things and stash them away for the following year.
Use the tin’s lid to trace a heart-shape onto parchment paper. Cut out inside your pencil line for a clean heart that will fit perfectly over the truffles, inside the lid.
Continue packing and then place tins and all back into your freezer to wait until Valentines Day.
Who wouldn’t want a cute little tin of vegan truffle-love for Valentines?!
The cake batter truffles have a coconut-y flavor to them that would marry well with lots of other flavors besides mocha. Let your imagination loose and think about what flavor YOUR sweetie might enjoy, and truffle on! Get all creative with sprinkles as well–cocoa powder is classic for chocolate truffles, but what about toffee bits or chopped nuts or powdered sugar, or ….. ?!
Somethin' Yummy 