Last night was the conclusion of a “grand” Memorial Day weekend. My parents came in and took the boys down to the Boulder Creek Fest where they all had a blast. There was much spoiling –meals out, bowling, batting practice at the amusement park and overall non-stop fun. A perfect weekend with the grandparents.
After an exhausting weekend of keeping up with my seventy year old folks, I put my children to bed for a solid night of rest. When thunder cracked so loud that my house shook, the boys bolted down to my tiny home office and made themselves comfortable with blankets on the floor as I worked.
As the little one fell asleep, the big one observed that he does so with his eyes half open, “that’s how you know he is really asleep.” I was told. I carried the big one up to bed for a quick tuck and an hour later hauled the sleeping little one up to his room. I guess all my workouts are really paying off –carrying 70 pounds of sleeping child up a flight of stairs makes me feel like I’m Ahnold.
After they were snuggled away in their beds and sound asleep I decided to work on a new chocolate recipe, galvanized by Holly’s challenge in the comment section of my Raw Chocolate Fudge post. She inquired about using stevia and cutting back on the agave in that dessert; in my quest to do so I came up with these extra dark truffles. Holly, thanks for your inspiration.
Rosemary Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup coconut butter
- ¼ cup creamy roasted almond butter
- ¼ cup agave nectar or honey
- 1 drop stevia
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cacao, coconut oil, coconut butter, almond butter, agave nectar and stevia
- Stir ingredients until well combined
- Place bowl in freezer for 10-15 minutes until chocolate reaches cold, firm consistency
- Remove from freezer and roll into 1 inch balls
- Place walnuts and rosemary in a bowl and roll each truffle in mixture to coat
- Serve
- Be sure to store in fridge to maintain texture and consistency
Equipment
In addition to Holly’s great request, teaching the 3rd graders to make chocolate fudge gave rise to this new recipe. For that cooking class, I brought in a dozen different herbs, spices, dried fruits and nuts and allowed the children to choose what to add to the basic recipe.
One of the 3rd graders, Zippy, made rosemary flavored fudge. I had hoped that one of the students would choose this herb as I was intrigued by the idea of adding it to chocolate. Her choice was sophisticated, adventurous and turned out to be one of my favorite flavors.
Many thanks go to Holly and Zippy for their fine inspiration!
Wendy says
I just made these tonight and they are AMAZING! So rich and full of wonderful flavor. Next time, I will probably try softening the coconut oil to make it easier to mix everything together… This recipe is a keeper and I may try substituting other flavors (orange and raspberry come to mind). :-) Thank you so much!
Colleen says
Hi, Elana. These sound fantastic, and I’m planning to make them for Christmas for my daughter (and me!) so we can have some special goodies of our own while everyone else is munching on traditional treats. And maybe we’ll share some of ours with them . . . :) One question about the stevia amount called for in the recipe: Is there a measurement equivalent for the dropperful called for in the recipe? My stevia is just in a bottle from which I shake out drops, so I really don’t know how much I should be adding to the recipe. Thanks for any help you can provide with this.
Colleen
Alison Kerr - rosemary gardener says
Well, a couple of days ago I published a big roundup post on rosemary recipes for the holidays. Your rosemary truffles are the one recipe I’m just dying to try and haven’t yet.
Thanks so much for sharing it. My mouth is watering!
Regards, Alison Kerr
Mansi says
HI Elana, my first time here, and I love your blog! quite a nice collection you have, and these truffles are such a unique flavor combination!
I’m a vegetarian food blogger hosting a Monthly Mingle food blog event this month featuring Appetizers and Hors’doeuvres, and these truffles would be such a great addition! pls take a moment to check event details and send in your entry :)
elana says
Hi Betty -I think the SCD is fantastic, though no, do not follow it. Chocolate and stevia do work for me. When I cannot tolerate a food I know because I get bloated and have a pretty bad stomachache. I am so glad that you are enjoying this blog! Thanks for your comment.
Vittoria -You could also try cocoa butter, though it is quite costly. If you figure something out in place of the coconut oil/butter, let me know!
Naomi -While I haven’t done a great deal of research on stevia, I do know that most of the concerns regarding this sweetener have been publicized by the sugar lobby; in Japan it accounts for 40% of the sweetener market.
Holly -You are very welcome! Thanks again for your inspiration :-) xo Elana
dina trumn says
interesting…i hadn’t heard of any health concerns about stevia until this moment, and my first thought was, “i wonder if the sugar companies are behind these ‘concerns’.” :-)
Holly says
WOW- Elana these sound great!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to create this recipe:)
I feel famous!
I love your stories about your family and the boys- it makes these recipes all the sweeter.
Thanks again- I will make these this weekend for sure. Keep up the great work!!
Warmly, Holly
http://www.nourishingwisdom.com
naomi says
These truffles look gorgeous, I might have to try a blonde version (no cocoa for me I’m afraid).
I’m intrigued about the stevia, it seems so contraversial that I’ve always avoided it. Have you done any research on the health concerns of steviol, the metabolite of stevia? I’d love to know what your thoughts are.
x x x
Vittoria says
Oh how I love Rosemary, and in chocolate! I’m gonna have to play around with these. I’ll have to see what I can substitute for the coconut products, perhaps regular butter, or more nut butter? Thanks for the ideas!
Betty says
Hi Elana,
I was recently diagnosed with celiac and a host of other food allergies including all grains. In my research, I found the SCDiet. Is this similar to what you do? I noticed that chocolate is not allowed nor is stevia (because of how the stomach can’t break it down). Have you had any issues with these foods?
How do you tell what you can tolerate and what you can’t?
This blog has been a huge inspiration to me and I appreciate the work and time you put into it.
Blessings,
Betty