Ask and you shall receive! After posting my chocolate chip chewies (which are sweetened with coconut sugar), many of you who are currently doing a sugar detox or the NorCal CrossFit Summer Challenge asked for a “treat” that you could enjoy without going off plan. I’ll tell you what, treats without sweetener are hard to create. After 3 attempts (and a very kind husband, who let me down kindly each time), these came out deliciously! They have just the right amount of sweet from the banana. It’s important to remember, though, that just like any treat, these should still be eaten in moderation because like I mentioned in THIS post, sugar is a real pain in this country’s (rapidly expanding) butt.
I handled that by turning this sweet treat into tiny bite-sized truffles. If you follow the recipe and make 8 truffles, there is no need to worry about the natural sugar from the banana (or about taking in too many nuts, which can be its own problem) when you enjoy a single truffle. These have zero added sugar or sweetener and are filled with healthy fats (with a nut-free option). Plus, they are raw, egg-free, and vegan (if you’re in that camp). Bonus points for being super easy to make.
So go ahead and enjoy a treat without breaking any hearts (or fattening up your own). These are yummy little morsels that won’t send you off the sugar deep-end but will still fulfill that craving for something sweet. I made these with homemade almond butter (recipe will be posted soon), but you can use any almond butter without added sugar or sweetener (organic and soaked, sprouted, or lightly roasted nuts are best). Enjoy!
Banana Sweetened Cocoa-Nut Truffles (GF, EF, DF)
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 1 banana*
- 1/4 cup raw organic almond butter**
- 1/4 cup organic coconut butter***
- 2 TB coconut milk
- 1 TB organic unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup chopped nut of your choice (I used sprouted almonds)
*the riper the banana the sweeter these will be, so if you are really trying to squash the sugar habit go with a green-tipped banana
**you can go with 1/2 cup coconut butter and skip the almond butter if you are nut-free and vice-versa if you don’t like coconut butter
***I also made a batch with Cinnamon Roll Sweet Spreads for the coconut butter, and that was delicious!!
WHAT YOU DO:
- mash your banana up really well in a food processor (you can also do this by hand and get fitter while you do)
- add almond butter, coconut butter, and coconut milk and blend until itâs a smooth, sticky dough
- scoop into a bowl and fold in the cocoa powder and vanilla until incorporated (taste it here and add more vanilla to taste if desired)
- cover and leave in the fridge for 1 hour longer is fine)
- pull it out and stir in your optional chopped nuts
- pour shredded coconut on a cutting board or plate
- with your hands scoop out ping-pong sized balls of the dough and roll in the shredded coconut until covered and no longer sticky
- place on a plate and repeat until youâve used all of the dough
- put back in fridge for at least an hour (longer is better)
Let me know what you think! Those of you doing the Summer Challenge, how are things going? If you have questions about cutting some of the sugar or about anything really, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Oooo these sound so good! I am all about getting in a tasty treat with minimal sugar. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! If you make them, let me know what you think. Super excited about how they turned out (after a couple tries of course)!
Will do! I pinned it so I don’t forget đ