Last Friday afternoon, I played hooky from blog work and chauffeured my guy an hour south to the Bay Area, where he planned to catch a ride from friends down to a conference in LA. We locked our front door at noon, arrived at the movie theater parking lot meet-up spot by 1:45 pm, and casually tilted our seats back to wait for the other car to pull up.
The other driver texted my guy shortly after we started lounging, explaining that they had fallen behind schedule and were just about to leave San Francisco at 2. We checked Google Maps, and several accident notifications popped up on the freeway at the same time as their departure. Oof.
With two hours to kill, we strolled around the strip mall across the way, skipping over the Ulta and Dress Barn (sorry Mom!) but pausing to peek into Party City. I’m always on the lookout for fun straws or cute napkins for photo shoots! After meandering down every aisle, I admitted defeat, only finding gaudy graduation-themed gift bags and neon Cinco de Mayo paper plates.
I convinced my guy to visit TJ Maxx before wandering back to the car, and I practically sprinted to their home goods section. They always offer incredible deals on fancy dishes and baking pans! I slowly scoured the shelves, searching for the perfect photo props, and just like every other visit, I ended up clutching at least half of the assorted gadgets and platters like my food blogger life depended on them, before putting all of them back.
But I nearly walked out with a boxed set of adorable mason-jar mugs. I literally came this close… They came with stenciled chalkboard labels on their sides—I had been lusting after those for months! However, after realizing I didn’t actually need 4, nor did our kitchen contain a single inch of shelf space for them, I reluctantly placed them back on the display… Behind 14 other boxes.
Just in case.
As a compromise, I turned down the aisle with single mugs for sale, hoping to find a lone mason jar that I could justify purchasing. With their slim selection, I struck out, but I still discovered another mug that made me smile…
I immediately thought, Wow—that’s brilliant! Someone actually printed a mug cake recipe on the side. Perfect marketing! But then I skimmed through the recipe, and my brain changed its mind… That’s horribly unhealthy! ¼ cup of sugar? And almost ¼ cup of fat between the oil and egg yolk?? I automatically assumed mug cakes were meant for one person, but that recipe was a heart attack—or at least a stomachache—in a coffee cup!
Chocolate truffles also have a bad reputation for being highly unhealthy. Packed with butter, heavy cream, and melted chocolate—plus a sweet sugary filling—they’re irresistibly tempting but not exactly bikini-friendly. Although after a little tinkering in my kitchen, I managed to come up with a 5-ingredient recipe for deliciously decadent truffles with less than half the fat and calories of regular ones!
These Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles positively exude rich chocolaty flavor. With their luxurious fudgy exterior and sweet creamy filling, these treats are guaranteed to be a guilt-free indulgence: made from purely wholesome, clean-eating friendly ingredients, each large truffle only contains 43 calories!
This truffle recipe is the easiest one you’ll ever make. Just stir together cocoa powder, applesauce, honey, and vanilla together in a bowl with a fork, and chill the mixture. That’s it! No butter to melt, no heavy cream to heat. However, it’s incredibly important to chill the chocolate mixture for at least 1 hour. It’s initially fairly tacky (and will stick to your hands like glue), but the longer you wait, the easier it is to shape. If left for more than 24 hours, the chocolate mixture begins drying out and crumbles when rolled, so just don’t wait too long!
Despite chilling, assembling the truffles is still a slightly messy process. You’ll end up with a small layer of chocolate stuck to your palms—did you see mine?—but it washes off easily. (Or scrape it off with a spoon to sample… guess which option I chose!)
Before beginning, get everything ready! Line a large plate with wax paper; then grab two small spatulas, set out a spoon, and open the jar of peanut butter. I eyeballed the ½ teaspoon of peanut butter for the filling, but if possible, err on the side of slightly less PB to make it easier to seal the truffles shut.
Note: I thought about taking step-by-step photos or filming a video, but… I actually shaped these truffles at 11:30 pm with the worst artificial lighting imaginable. Instead, I’ll describe the process below. It sounds a little complicated—and it looked fairly comical—but you’ll still end up with really decadent results!
First, divide the chocolate mixture into 16 equal segments. Working with one at a time, flatten it into a circular shape in the palm of one hand. Using your free hand, dip the spoon into the peanut butter jar, scoop out a little, and transfer the spoon into the fingers of your hand with the truffle mixture. Grab a spatula with your free hand, scrape off the PB, and drop it into the center of the flattened truffle mixture.
Whew, you got through the hard part! Now set down the spoon and peanut butter spatula. Carefully fold the edges of the truffle mixture up over the peanut butter filling, pinching together and rolling to seal. If the chocolate sticks to your hand like superglue and refuses to budge, use the second spatula to scrape it off of your hand before shaping the truffle into a sphere.
Then place the finished truffle onto the wax paper, and start on the next one!
After rolling out all of the chocolate truffles, stick them back in the fridge until you’re ready to eat serve them. Chilling helps them stay firm, but if you plan on saving them for more than 24 hours, (a) store them in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out and (b) share your self-restraint secrets with me!
These decadent Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles taste just as indulgent as the ones you’d buy in sophisticated candy shops. With their rich fudgy exterior and sweet creamy filling, they remind me of a dark chocolate Reese’s peanut butter cup—but in truffle form!
So treat yourself to these guilt-free truffles—you deserve it!
P.S. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win free shortbread too!
| Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles | | Print |
- 1 cup (80g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured correctly)
- ½ cup (126g) unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tbsp (45mL) honey
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 8 tsp (43g) creamy peanut butter
- In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, applesauce, honey, and vanilla until smooth. Chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 18 hours, maximum).
- Line a large plate with wax paper.
- Divide the chocolate mixture into 16 equal parts. Working with one at a time, flatten to a circular shape in the palm of your hand. Place ½ teaspoon of peanut butter in the center. Fold up the edges, pinch shut, and roll into a ball between your palms. Place onto the wax paper. Repeat with the remaining chocolate mixture and peanut butter. Store in the refrigerator, and if saving them longer than 24 hours, place in an airtight container to prevent the truffles from drying out.
You may also like…
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles
Fudgy Double Peanut Butter Brownies
Amy, those look awesome but how can I do them without honey, maple syrup or agave?
I’m going to make that carrot cake this weekend but without the maple syrup. ; )
Thanks Lori! Substitute your preferred stevia sweetener, and then use 1-2 tablespoons of any type of milk (or as much as you need to get the mixture to come together) in place of the honey. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the truffles!
Amy, these look absolutely scrumptious. I don’t have Stevia or trivia ,will make them using coconut sugar. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. 😃😃
You’re so sweet, Kyra! I can’t wait to hear what you think of these truffles! 🙂
Hey Amy,
Do you have gram measurements for this recipe? I love your other truffles and want to try this one too!
Just updated the recipe for you! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these truffles Reka!
You are amazing!! I will let you know how they have worked out 🙂
It’s my pleasure! 🙂 I can’t wait!
Amy, these ended up being so delicious!! I made them with natural sugarfree peanutbutter so there is a balance between the sweet chocolate and the peanutbutter and they are like heaven! Thank you so much
I’m so glad you loved them Réka!! That means a lot to me! 🙂
Good recipe but recommend to reduce cocoa powder to 3/4 or maybe even 1/2 cup. Taste it as you go to make sure it’s not too bitter for your preference
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Patricia! May I ask how you measured the cocoa powder? Did you scoop it directly from the container, by any chance? 🙂
Hi Amy! I just want to say your blog is EXCELLENT! Your attention to detail, precision and baking knowledge really shows. Thank you for putting together these recipes for sugar avoiders like myself!
So I did add the cocoa powder by the spoonful to the cup measure, however the cup measure was a two cup measure so I could not level it out with a knife, I just eyed it the best I could. Also, I noticed there were lot of clumps in the cocoa powder. Do you think either of those factors could have contributed?
These are still very good though! I will probably make again, maybe I will try your other truffle recipes. I enjoyed them!
You’re so sweet Patricia — that means SO much to me!! I’m truly honored! 🙂 I think that the 2-cup measuring cup definitely would’ve factored into it. Do you have any measuring cups smaller than 1 cup? For example, measuring ½ cup twice or ¼ cup four times would be better than eyeballing 1 cup in a 2-cup measuring cup! 😉
Also, if you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring cocoa powder (and flour, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up cocoa powder from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the cocoa powder into it. Once there’s a small mound of cocoa powder extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the cocoa powder down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less cocoa powder to the bowl, so you’ll end up with less bitter truffles. (Too much cocoa powder is what usually causes the bitterness!) Does that make sense? 🙂
Hello dear,recipe looks super delicious,what I can use instead of the apple sauce
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe of mine, Mirna! Are you allergic to apples? Or did you have something in particular in mind? 🙂