Raw, vegan friendly, gluten-free, health benefits like crazy, made with green things, plant based, and completely bursting with antioxidants, healthy fats, and goodness…

And yes, we are still talking about truffles.

These Mint Chocolate Truffles are not only pure magic, but they also contain all of the aforementioned health jargon and beneficial properties. They’re incredibly simple to make, containing only 6 ingredients, and they taste absolutely amazing too! These ingredients include sticky-sweet medjool dates, which are bursting with fiber and natural sugars, nuts like cashews and almonds that boast heart healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, cacao for antioxidant benefits, and of course mint for a fresh, cool taste.

Let’s talk mint & chocolate…what a combination! Food corporations seem to think so too. You’ll find this age-old combination on everything from ice cream cartons to peppermint patties, cookies, coffee beverages, heavily sweetened yogurt, candy, and even protein and weight-loss bars in your local grocery store. The bad news – most to all of these products contain little to no real mint to speak of. Instead they’re filled with artificially flavored mint made of…chemicals and other things.

These truffles have the real stuff: fresh, vibrant, cool mint. Mint, and over one hundred of its different varieties, has been used for hundreds of years in medicine and healing. Whether you use peppermint, spearmint, wild mint, or even apple mint in this recipe, you’ll reap goodness benefits plus a fresh flavor that works so well with chocolate. Mint is an aromatic herb that offers antioxidants, fiber, and trace vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, potassium, and iron that all contribute to excellent overall health. One of mint’s most notable uses is for promoting optimal digestion. As mint digests, it helps to relax the muscles in your digestive tract and even improves bile flow – meaning you digest your food more quickly. Ever have a bellyache after a big meal? Sip on some peppermint tea to relax your stomach and soothe your tummy. Or just nibble on one of these truffles for the perfect dessert!

Cool mint + rich cacao + sweet dates + nutty almonds and cashews + crunchy cacao nibs = pure, fresh mint chocolate truffle bliss.

Mint Chocolate Truffles

Makes about 12 truffles

¼ heaped cup raw almonds
¼ heaped cup raw cashews
10 pitted Medjool dates
1 heaped tablespoon cacao powder
9-15 leaves of fresh mint
1 tablespoon cacao nibs

In a food processor add almonds and cashews and pulse until nuts are broken down into small pieces, not flour. Add in dates, cacao powder, and fresh mint leaves. Start with a few mint leaves and add more to taste – mint can quickly overwhelm! Pulse mixture until it forms a big, sticky ball. Add in cacao nibs and pulse once or twice more to combine.

Using your fingers, scoop out about a tablespoon of mixture and ball it up into a medium sized truffle. Repeat for the remainder of the truffle “dough.”

Once truffles are all shaped, store them in an airtight container in the freezer. Enjoy!