Dark Chocolate and Orange Easter Truffles

There's no Monday recipe this week as I'm on holiday so I'm posting this instead - a healthy Easter treat you can eat all year round.

CALORIES PER TRUFFLE: 115 (MAKES 12)

Dark chocolate is one of those rare foods where pleasure and health collide. Even as a nutritionist I find it hard to get excited about quinoa, but I love dark chocolate, and these chocolate orange truffles are just the ticket with a cup of tea. They are no-cook and so simple to whip up, so keep a little stash in the fridge ready for when you need a little sweet fix.

PREP TIME: 15 mins

COOKING TIME: 0 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 50ml extra virgin olive oil

• 50ml date syrup* (this is the link to one I use)

• 75g good quality cocoa powder

• 100g almond butter

• Zest of a small orange

• A little more cocoa for dusting

METHOD:

Place 50ml extra virgin olive oil, 50ml date syrup, 75g good quality cocoa powder, 100g almond butter, and the zest of a small orange in a bowl. When measuring the oil and date syrup, if you do the oil first, the date syrup will slip out nicely and not stick to the sides of the jug.

Combine well using a metal spoon; the mixture will slowly firm up as the cocoa powder absorbs the wet ingredients.

Roll 20g spoonfuls in the palms of your hands to form shiny balls. Place on a plate, and once you have used up all the mixture - it will make around 12 - dust over a little cocoa powder from a sieve to finish.

These will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a week or so.

*If you can’t find date syrup, you can use honey or another thick-ish sweetener. Maple syrup is a little too runny.