Nutella Truffles
Who knew it would be so simple? Well the wheels started turning and soon I began thinking of all the different things I could slather this jar of heavenly goodness on. Toast? Graham crackers? My tongue? I got to work and immediately made my Coconut Nutella Hot Chocolate which was so smooth and rich and delightful. Then I got to thinking.
You know what else are smooth? Rich? Delightful?
TRUFFLES!
I took it there.
This time of year always gets everyone thinking about holiday sweets and treats and I’m no different than the next person. Load me up with all the yummy goodness that I can get my hands on. Wait. Hold it. All the yummy goodness? If you’re like me there comes a point when you just can’t handle any more treats. BEFORE you get to that point let me introduce these truffles to you. Originally I thought I’d want to use hazelnuts as my base. Then I got to thinking. Why not do the ole’ switcheroo? Spice things up a bit? Insert >> macadamia nuts! What’s the big idea? Well, I’ll have you know, these particular nuts are the real deal. They are packed with numerous health-benefiting nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for optimum health and wellness. Yay! Furthermore I found these deets (details) in my research:
- 100 g of macadamia provides 8.6 g or 23% of daily-recommended levels of dietary fiber. Additionally, they are a very good source of phytosterols such as ß-sitosterol. However, the nuts carry no cholesterol.
- Since macadamia is free from gluten, it is one of the popular ingredients in the preparation of gluten-free food formulas. Such formula preparations are a healthy alternative in patients with wheat gluten allergy and celiac disease.
- The nuts are rich source of mono-unsaturated fatty (MUF) like oleic acid (18:1) and palmitoleic acids (16:1). Studies suggest that MUF fats in the diet help lower total as well as LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels in the blood. The Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fiber, MUF fats and antioxidants work favorably in maintaining healthy blood lipid profile and thus offer protection from coronary artery disease and strokes.
- Macadamias are an excellent source of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc. 100 g nuts provide 3.6 µg of selenium. Selenium is a cardio-protective micro-mineral and an important anti-oxidant cofactor for glutathione peroxidase enzyme.
- The nuts are also rich in many important B-complex vitamins that are vital for metabolic functions. 100 g of nuts provide 15% of niacin, 21% of pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), 100% of thiamin, and 12% of riboflavin.
- They contain small amounts of vitamin-A, and vitamin E. Both these fat-soluble vitamins possess potent anti-oxidant activities, which serve to protect cell membranes and DNA damage from harmful oxygen-free radicals.
When she’s not at work or spending time with family or friends, chances are you’ll find Yvonne in the kitchen wearing an apron and a smile.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. macadamia nuts
- 1/4 c. nutella can use tried and tasty three-ingredient nutella
- 7 – 10 medjool dates soaked in warm water to soften & then drained
Instructions
- In a food processor blend macadamia nuts until finely chopped.
- Add Nutella and dates and process again until well incorporated (be careful not too process too long).
- Freeze paste until easy to handle, scoop into tablespoon-sized balls. Melt 1 high quality chocolate bar in a small bowl. Roll truffle carefully into melted chocolate.
- Top with chopped macadamia nuts if desired.
Nutrition
It doesn’t say chocolate bar in the ingredients. I screwed up and put the nuts on then realized it needed the Chocolate bar before the nuts. Now they are ugly. Good thing these are testers.