chocolate fudge bites

I was craving some chocolate today and I pulled out this recipe that is a couple of years old. Wow, these are good and so simple to make. I first started making energy balls from the cookbook from Angela Liddon’s blog. I am not sure where this recipe comes from (it could be one of Angela’s?) but it’s a favorite in our house. Be sure to buy good quality dates (I typically use medjool). The dates need to be fresh and goey. If they are dry then the mix won’t come together. Good quality cocoa or cacao is also important. I personally prefer raw cacao (which I purchase from our natural health food store) however it can be a little bitter so I sometimes add a dash of maple syrup to the mix. I have also used Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa powder and it has worked great.

Makes about 10-14 balls

Ingredients

3/4 cup pitted whole dates

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

a dash of salt

2 tablespoons cocoa or raw cacao powder

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

1/2 cup raw pecans

Optional - mini chocolate chips

Creating the Magic!

Place all the ingredients apart from the chocolate chips in a food processor. It will take a couple of minutes for the dough to come together. If the dough is not coming together, you can add a little honey or maple syrup to make it a little sticky. Or you can just use your hands and form a dough.

Add the chocolate chips and mix. Roll into balls and place on a plate.

We keep these in the fridge for a week or so. This recipe can also be used as a pie crust.