Recipe Highlights:
- no cooking required
- low sugar, low carb, & gluten free
- start to finish in 30 minutes
If you are looking for that one final treat to complete your holiday cookie plates - this is it!
My family used to make a pan or two of chocolate-peanut butter bars for our Christmas cookie plates. We took the plates to parties, gifted them to neighbors, and often packed a few to take over the river, and through the woods to Grandma's house in Eastern, Washington. When I think of Christmas cookies I have very fond thoughts about that time tested combination of chocolate and creamy peanut butter.
Which is why I have given you back-to-back recipes featuring both ingredients!
You'll notice both recipes are also no-bake confections. This one doesn't require any heat at all. These truffles are a great recipe to hand over to a jr. kitchen helper who needs to channel their holiday energy into something productive.
All the credit for this truffle making technique and the recipe inspiration goes to Amy who writes Amy's Healthy Baking. Her blog recently caught my attention. The site is charming and the recipes should please any mindful eater with a sweet tooth.
These truffles are very rich. The texture is smooth but dense like the truffles you might buy in fancy boxes at Trader Joes. They taste like deep dark chocolate with sneaky hints of peanut butter. (The PB2 flavor is not as pronounced as regular peanuts because they have had most of their fat removed.) If you need a little more sweetness add a touch more agave and a touch less applesauce - to keep the ratio of liquid to dry consistent.
Best of all - They are 30 calories a piece (okay 31)!
Add these to your family cookie buffet and indulge with glee. While everyone else is nibbling cookies you can relish a few of these truffles. You'll feel completely indulged - and, I dare say, a bit smug, knowing you kept your treats under 100 calories.
Have fun no-baking!
Recommended for this Recipe:
Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter Truffles
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder* see note below
- 1 cup PB2**
- 10 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce ½cup + 2TB
- 4 tablespoon agave
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- optional - 2 TB powdered sugar for coating
Instructions
- In a large bowl - Measure the cocoa powder as indicated in the note. Add the PB2, applesauce, agave, vanilla, and salt.
- Gently mix with a fork or a silicon spatula. It will seem like it isn't going to come together but keep mixing. As the batter begins to form use a massaging motion to knead the batter into a velvety smooth dough. This step may take about 5 minutes for the dough to fully come together. It is unlikely you will over work the dough.
- If the dough seems crumbly after 5 minutes of kneading add a few drops of water - no more than ½ a tsp. Knead again until the dough becomes smooth.
- Measure the dough into roundish lumps, by the rounded teaspoon-about 1-½ teaspoons each. If you have a kitchen scale - each truffle should be 14 grams (the last one may be a little on the slim side). Place the lumps on a plate.
- When the truffles have all been portioned, roll them into balls between your palms. Use gentle pressure to compact the ingredients slightly. Place the finished truffles into an air tight container and refrigerate overnight before serving. The chilled and covered truffles will keep for up to 1 week.
- Optional: To give the truffles a wintry look, prior to serving roll the truffles in a light coating of powdered sugar. Do not do this very far in advance, the tiny bit of moisture in the truffles will melt the powdered sugar at which point, it will disappear and turn the outsides sticky.
Notes
**PB2 is ground peanuts. It is the by-product of peanut oil production thus the remaining peanuts are extremely reduced in fat compared to whole peanuts.
Rolling the truffles will leave a coating of chocolate on your palms. If you would like to keep your hands cocoa free, put on a pair of disposable kitchen gloves before you begin measuring and rolling the truffles.
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