IT’S NEARLY VALENTINES DAY! ♥
Don’t panic though. It’s a lame holiday.
I don’t wanna be a spoil sport, but Valentine’s day is not the one. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got Matt a card. I have even bought him a present. But, we won’t be going out dinner, or spending the day declaring undying love. In fact, I am spending a good chunk of the day with lady friends.
Isn’t Galentine’s the new Valentine’s?
One thing I do approve of though, is sweet little tokens of love – any time of the day / month / year. And when the lovelies over at Forest Feast sent me a little parcel of goodies for Valentines; I was more then happy to get my hands messy ( ALWAYS ) and create some Valentine’s Date Truffles.
Indulgent Date Truffles – with ALL of the nuts
These truffles are brought to you mainly by Dates. Now considered a superfood *cringe*, these little bundles of sticky joy were always a favourite at Christmas, but now they are to be found gracing the shelves all year round; in much larger quantities than before. In fact, Forest Feast are seeing a 30% surge in the sales of Medjool dates, year on year… Not too shabby! I made them with a selection of nut type stuffs that I had in the cupboard. Feel free to play with the make up – but I’d recommend keeping the date & ground almond the same.
Since this little hamper of loveliness came with a heart mould… I caved, and made heart shape date truffles. They look sweet. Can you blame me? You can, however, make these Valentine’s Date Truffles in any shape you wish. Even in boring old ‘energy balls’ if you fancy. They taste good whatever the shape.I made stars too. But, I am pretty certain the heart shape ones taste better though… #JustSaying
Laura Anne Bradley
Serves Approx 20 Truffles
10 minPrep Time
10 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 7 Forest Feast Medjool Dates ( Pitted )
- 20g Shelled Pistachios
- 20g Sesame Seeds
- 25g Desiccated Coconut
- 85g Ground Almond
- 30g Cocoa Powder ( plus a little for dusting )
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Paste
- Pinch of Sea Salt
Method
- Firstly, soak the dates in hot water for a few minutes to soften. Drain & squeeze out excess water.
- Place pistachios, coconut, sesame seeds, ground almond and cocoa powder in food processor. Blitz to combine and break up pistachios. The mix will remain varied in texture, just make sure there aren't any big lumps!
- Add dates, vanilla & sea salt. Pulse until a sticky ball forms. If this seems to be taking a long time ( over 2/3 minutes ) add warm water VERY slowly.
- Take small amounts of the mixture & work into silicone mould. This gets messy - all part of the fun!
- Place into the freezer overnight
- Once hard, pop out of the heart-shaped mould & roll in Cocoa powder. I put some Cocoa powder in a bowl and tossed the truffles around gently. They hold up well, since they are frozen!
- Enjoy!
- Be sure the store in the fridge, as they go all gooey otherwise...
If you need a little bit of persuasion as to why Medjool dates are romantic, anytime of the year. Here are a two new to me, and perhaps new to you, facts for ya! I mean, what’s more romantic than sex?
- Dates are a rich source of amino acids, which are known to increase sexual stamina and libido. Therefore, dates are a popular aphrodisiac, especially in North African countries.
- Dates are also the symbol of the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, love, sex, and power.
I am not deserting the ‘I LOVE CHOCOLATE’ bandwagon anytime soon. But i am also not against trying new things, and these little fellas may become a regular afternoon snack!
Make them. Eat them. Share them with a loved one if you have to. I might. I might also eat them all myself. Or share them with my Galentine girls… Hope you enjoy your Valentines/Palentines/Galentines – even if it just includes lying in the bath with some date truffles and a bottle of bubbly. That might even be what I’m doing…
