Sweetheart Truffles (Sugar-Free & Vegan)

 

Of course I had to make a healthier version of the standard sugary Valentine chocolates most of us buy!  No way I was buying cinnamon hearts or kisses for the girls.  I knew they'd love the pink filling on these and I was hoping they would make up for the fact that I ate most of the Peppermint Dreams (Oops!).

You can flavour these anyway you want, and if you are better at fiddly things than I am, you can make them look beautiful.  I had hoped to find heart-shaped candy molds or silicon molds, but didn't manage to before I made these.  I guess I'll aim to get better prepared for next year.

I promise your sweetheart will love these, not just because they taste amazing, but because they won't get a sugar rush from them and they are pretty guilt-free...unless you eat them all at once maybe!

Sweetheart Truffles

Chocolate Coating

175g unsweetened chocolate
4 tbls coconut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure powdered stevia (or more, to taste)
1 dropper full of vanilla stevia liquid (or more, to taste)
Pinch of salt

Cream Filling

1.5 cups powdered erythritol (or other powdered natural sweetener)
2 tbls melted coconut butter
2 tsp pure vanilla, almond or cherry extract
2 squirts natural red food colouring (like this one), or beet juice
Unsweetened, non-dairy milk (plain or vanilla)*
Coconut flour (optional)

Melt together chocolate and coconut butter over simmering water.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Use a whisk or fork to mix together filling ingredients.  Add just enough milk until it has a fondant-like consistency and colour is evenly distributed throughout.  If it is too thin to roll into balls, you can add more powdered sweetener or some coconut flour to firm it up. 

Take candy molds or papers and drizzle the bottom of each with chocolate.  Roll filling into balls and place one on top of chocolate.  Pour remaining chocolate over the tops of each until filling is completely covered.  Refrigerate or freeze until firm.  Makes 24 large truffles.  Keep in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1 week or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks, or freeze for several months.

*If you use beet juice for colour and use a lot to get a deeper pink, you probably won't need any milk.

 

 

Sorry, I couldn't get a decent shot of the truffle with my phone.  But you get the idea.  They actually don't look that bad in my gold foil wrappers, but they would definitely look better in proper chocolate molds or silicone heart molds.

This recipe has been shared with Gluten-Free Friday, Wellness Weekend and the Saturday Night Fever Blog Hop.