Raw Mayan Vegan Truffles | Minimalist Baker Recipes

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Rolling a homemade Raw Mayan Vegan Truffle in cocoa powder

Sometimes a girl’s just gotta have chocolate. But it can’t always be in the form of a double dipped cone from DQ (guilty), an entire dark chocolate bar (I’ve done that once or thrice) or a fat slice of chocolate cake (oh lordy, yes). Else, we might just become that fat slice of cake, and we don’t want that (we don’t right? OK, just checking…).

Bowl of dates and bags of spices for making homemade Raw Mayan Vegan Truffles

Friends, I have a solution. Rich chocolate truffles with plenty of decadent flavor and a hint of spice thanks to cayenne, nutmeg and cinnamon. Dates bring it all together and make it sweet. Sweet, spicy, chocolaty – I think we have all the bases covered, right?

Cutting board filled with a batch of our Raw Mayan Truffles recipe

Holding a homemade Vegan Truffle made with cinnamon and cayenne

These vegan truffles were inspired by the most adorable person on earth, Ashlae from Oh, Lady Cakes. I stumbled upon her blog a few months back and promptly sent her an email titled “friend request” that expressed how fabulous I thought she and her blog were, specifically her raw cacao ice cream. She replied just hours later saying “…thank you for not writing to tell me how terrible it is that I think it’s OK for people to consume 500-calorie bowls of ice cream. WHO FREAKING COUNTS CALORIES??!?!?!! The nerve of some people, I tell you what.”

We’ve been fast friends ever since.

Batch of our Raw Mayan Vegan Truffles recipe coated in cocoa powder

Stack of bowls with Raw Mayan Vegan Truffles piled into the top bowl

These vegan truffles were certainly inspired by her lovely Lady Cakes (was that inappropriate?). She had me at raw. Then she threw in cacao and then slayed me with truffle. I simply added some coffee and spice. Try them both ways, they’re quite delicious either way, I tell you what.

And in case you’re wondering what makes them Mayan? We have the Mayans to thank for inspiring the combo of chocolate + spice. Read more about it here.

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More Chocolate Truffle Recipes

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Showing the delicious tender inside of a Raw Mayan Vegan Truffle

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 24 (truffles)

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Mayan-Inspired, Vegan

Freezer Friendly 1 month

Does it keep? Store in freezer.

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2 cups raw almonds
2 Tbsp cacao powder (plus more for rolling)
2 Tbsp dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips (raw to keep recipe raw)
12-13 whole dates (soaked for 15 minutes in water*)
1-2 Tbsp date water (optional)
1/2 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (start with less if your cayenne is super fresh/spicy)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Place almonds in a food processor and process until nearly the consistency of almond meal – the pieces should be very fine but stop before it starts to turn to butter.
Next add cacao powder, chocolate, dates (minus the water), and spices and blend well.
Add 1 Tbsp of date water ONLY if your batter isn’t coming together. It should be difficult to process at this point.
Transfer to a bowl and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove from freezer and roll into 1-inch balls. They will be sticky but manageable with the warmth of your hands.
Roll in cacao powder (optional) and keep frozen to retain freshness. You can eat them chilled or at room temperature. I preferred them a tad on the warm side as you could taste more of the flavors.

*I use deglet noor dates, whole pitted unsweetened. But you can also sub medjool or other varieties.
*Adapted from Oh, Lady Cakes Mayan Truffles
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Serving: 1 truffles Calories: 65 Carbohydrates: 6 g Protein: 1.9 g Fat: 4 g Saturated Fat: 0.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Fiber: 1.5 g Sugar: 3.8 g