A little sweet, a little salty and made with only eight whole food ingredients, these Sweet and Salty Peppermint Truffles are the treats I’m bringing to every holiday get-together this season. You too? Yeah, totally go for the double batch.

The reason I love these truffles the most: no baking required. I absolutely love Christmas cookie baking and warming up the house with cozy treats – and amazing smells, but sometimes you need a treat that doesn’t require an oven. Enter: the classic date and nut ball recipe (like these super nutrient-dense bliss balls) but with a chocolate and peppermint twist. Of course, adding melted dark chocolate, a pinch of sea salt, and a sprinkle of organic candy canes on top turns them into the most perfect holiday treat.

Of course – these truffles are realllly good for you too! Dates are a great source of potassium, magnesium, copper, and antioxidants (including flavonoids, carotenoids, and phenolic acid – all of which are associated with lowered inflammation). They’re also a wonderful source of fiber, which is essential for feeding gut bacteria and keeping the digestive system humming along. Because dates are so high in fructose (the natural sugar found in all fruit), it’s great to pair them with a source of healthy fat to prevent crazy blood sugar dips and spikes. In this recipe, we’ve used raw almonds to do just that, and to provide even more vitamins and minerals. Almonds are packed with vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, protein, and even more antioxidants.

Almonds and dates are paired with rich cacao (loaded with calming magnesium) and peppermint extract for a kick of minty goodness. If you’d prefer to have your truffles without the mint extract, please skip! You can even experiment with using fresh mint in the recipe instead.

Delicious nutrient-dense ingredients turn into simple and easy sweet and salty peppermint truffles in no time at all. Happy (no oven) cooking and savoring!

Sweet and Salty Peppermint Truffles

Makes about 12-14 small truffles

Ingredients:

2 cups raw almonds
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted*
¼ tsp. peppermint extract
2 tbsp. cacao powder
½ dark chocolate bar (80% cacao or higher), roughly chopped
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tbsp. flaky sea salt, optional
1 tbsp. crushed organic candy canes, optional

Directions:

1. Add almonds, pitted dates, peppermint extract and cacao powder to a food processor. Blend until mixture is completely broken down and starts to resemble a big sticky ball. If the mixture is too dry, add in a tablespoon of coconut oil.

2. Scoop one tablespoon of mixture and roll into a ball with your hands. Having wet hands helps to make this process less sticky!

3. Place truffles on a parchment paper-lined baking dish or plate. Let sit in the freezer to set for one hour.

4. Make the chocolate topping. Simply melt together chocolate bar and coconut oil in a double-boiler or in the microwave.

5. Gently drizzle chocolate over top of truffles. Sprinkle sea salt and crushed candy canes on top, if you’d like! Truffles will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 weeks and in the freezer for 2 months.

Notes:
-If dates are extra hard, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes first. Drain water and use!*
-I like to keep my truffles in the freezer for thee best texture – yum!