Date, Almond & Cacao Truffles
Sixteen dark, chewy, cardamom-scented balls out of one food processor bowl, rolled in green pistachio dust.
Why it works
The almonds go in alone and get blitzed to rubble before the dates arrive, because once the dates are in they coat every nut in sticky paste and nothing grinds any further. Tahini is the binder that turns crumbs into dough: one tablespoon carries enough fat to hold the mixture without making it greasy. The test is to squeeze a pinch in your fist, and if it holds its shape it is ready to roll.
Method
- Blitz the pistachios alone to coarse green crumbs and tip them onto a plate. No need to wash the bowl.
- Put the almonds in the same bowl and blitz for 20-30 seconds to a rubble between gravel and sand, with a few bigger pieces left for texture.
- Add the dates, cacao, tahini, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Run the machine for a full minute. It goes from dusty, to crumbly, to a single ball riding round on the blade, and that ball is the sign. If it stays dry, add water a teaspoon at a time.
- Squeeze a pinch in your fist. Once it holds, roll the mixture into 16 walnut-sized balls, pressing firmly so they do not crack.
- Roll each through the pistachio crumbs. Serve straight away, or chill 10 minutes to firm.
For the toddler
A firm ball this size is exactly the wrong shape for a small mouth, so do not roll theirs. Blitz the almonds a few seconds longer at step 2 so no gravelly pieces are left, then take a walnut-sized piece at step 4 and press it flat into a thin finger they can hold. Skip the pistachio crumbs, as chopped nuts are a choking risk under five.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Walnuts or hazelnuts for the almonds; desiccated coconut for the pistachio coating. Dry deglet nour dates need 5 minutes in hot water and a hard squeeze first.
Skip the rolling. Press the mixture into a small tin and cut it into 16 squares with a wet knife.
Cardamom coffee or mint tea, and a bowl of clementines.
Keeps 2 weeks in a tub in the fridge and freezes for 3 months. Eat at room temperature; straight from the fridge they are hard work.