Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Truffles

 
Every holiday season, I look forward to my family’s stocking tradition. After celebrating my grandparents’ wedding anniversary with a honey-baked ham dinner on Christmas Eve, we retrieve the red felt stockings from their shelf high up in the hallway closet and lay them on the bottom of the brick fireplace (or, last year, on the dining room table since my parents’ new puppy slept in the family room and loved chewing on socks!).  

My grandma sewed all of the stockings by hand, starting with my mom’s right around the year she was born, and she added one for my dad, my brother, and me as we entered the family. Each person’s features a different character — a tree for Mom, a holly branch for Dad, a bell for my brother, and an angel for me — but they all have a gold trim border, a Santa Claus face, a beaded candy cane, and many brightly colored sequins that now barely hang on by a thread or two.

On Christmas morning, we always open the stockings first, before we shake or even glance at the presents under the tree. Although Santa’s larger gifts change year to year, we always wake up to find a few particular items from that jolly ol’ elf: a travel-sized package of tissues (they fit perfectly in the stockings’ toes, making them look full and round!), a calendar (adorable miniature Pooh Bear ones, if we were lucky as little kids!), and chocolate candy.
 

 
The type of chocolate varies. While milk chocolate gold coins or snowman-themed molds in colorful foil usually appeared throughout our childhood, Santa upgraded around the time I started high school and began leaving Lindor truffles or Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares filled with jam and caramel.

For a few Christmases during my college years, we suspected that Santa’s elves shopped locally… Because we found boxes of the exact same Mrs. Fields truffles with caramel, chocolate peppermint, cookie dough, cherry cordial, and brownie batter fillings in our stockings that Target sold on their dollar aisle!
 

 
Rumor has it that Santa may be switching back to Ghirardelli squares this year, so to make sure my family still gets their holiday truffle fix, I made these healthy dark chocolate peppermint mocha truffles! They’re incredibly rich and decadent, but they only require 5 wholesome ingredients.

They’re also really quick and easy to make. That’s the best kind of holiday treat!
 

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT MOCHA TRUFFLES

Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make these healthy dark chocolate peppermint mocha truffles!

You’ll start with cocoa powder. Yes, regular ol’ unsweetened cocoa powder! I didn’t want to deal with the mess of melted chocolate or heating up heavy cream on the stove, so we’re sticking with this super easy (aka minimal dishes!) route. In addition to making this recipe faster and easier, using cocoa powder instead of chocolate bars and heavy cream really helps keep these homemade truffles low calorie!

Tip: I don’t recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. They have a different acidity level, which affects the flavor (as well as the texture of baked goods!). These other two cocoa powders actually make your truffles taste more muted and bland, so for the best chocolate flavor, use regular unsweetened cocoa powder!
 

 
Next comes the ingredient that holds the truffles together. It may sound a little strange, but trust me on this… It’s unsweetened applesauce! The applesauce binds together the cocoa powder to create the smooth, almost fudge-like texture. (But no, you can’t taste any apple flavor at all!)

For this version, you’ll mix instant coffee crystals into the applesauce to give the truffles the “mocha” part of their flavor. Don’t use regular coffee grounds! You need the kind that immediately dissolve in liquids. You can find instant coffee right alongside the regular coffee grounds, and this is the kind I buy. Both regular and decaf will work. You just need their flavor — the caffeine content doesn’t matter!

Tip: If you’re not a coffee fan, however, you can easily skip the instant coffee!
 

 
The final two ingredients are pure maple syrup and peppermint extract. Be sure to use the real kind maple syrup! Pancake syrup has other added ingredients, so it often behaves differently. Pure maple syrup generally comes in a glass bottle or squat round plastic jug (like this!), and the only ingredient on its label should be “maple syrup.”

As for peppermint extract, a little goes a long way! For a more subtle flavor, you just need ⅛ teaspoon. If you prefer a strong peppermint flavor that’s more prominent than the coffee, increase that to ¼ teaspoon instead.

Tip: If you’re not a mint fan either, you can easily omit this ingredient too, just like with the instant coffee!
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT MOCHA TRUFFLES

Let’s briefly go over how to make these healthy peppermint mocha truffles! Like I mentioned earlier, this recipe is incredibly simple.

First, you’ll mix the instant coffee into the unsweetened applesauce until it has fully dissolved. This is why you shouldn’t use regular coffee grounds… They never dissolve and stay coarse and gritty instead, which would ruin the texture of your truffles!

Next, you’ll stir everything together. Once it looks a bit like cookie dough, pop the bowl in the fridge to chill. This helps stiffen the mixture so it’s easier to shape. Then all that’s left to do is roll bits of the mixture between your palms to create each truffle!
 

 
Here’s my recipe video showing you just how easy these peppermint mocha truffles are to make! (I always giggle a little at what happens at the 43-second mark…)
 

 
Time to enjoy your healthy holiday candy! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy peppermint mocha truffles!

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Truffles

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 16 truffles

With their coffee and peppermint flavors, these dark chocolate truffles taste so festive and fun. They're perfect for the holiday season! They’ll keep for about a week (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

• ⅓ cup (85g) unsweetened applesauce (a little less than 1 single-serving container)
• 1 ¼ tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 cup (80g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
• 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
• ⅛ - ¼ tsp peppermint extract (see Notes!)

Instructions

• In a small bowl, stir together the applesauce and instant coffee until the instant coffee has fully dissolved. Add the cocoa powder to a separate bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour in the applesauce mixture, maple syrup, and peppermint extract. Stir until everything is completely incorporated. Chill the chocolate mixture for 30 minutes.
• Roll the chocolate mixture into 16 spheres, and place in an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These truffles are very dark chocolaty! They taste similar to 72-75% dark chocolate. If you prefer a sweeter taste, substitute additional maple syrup in place of some of the applesauce. Because applesauce is less "liquidy" than pure maple syrup, use slightly less pure maple syrup. (For example, replace 2 tablespoons of applesauce with a generous 1 ½ tablespoons of pure maple syrup.)

 

If you're not a fan of coffee or peppermint, you can easily omit either one — or even both!

 

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Be very careful and measure the cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Do NOT scoop it directly from the container. Too much cocoa powder will make your truffles taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty. It’ll also make the mixture too dry to roll into balls.

 

IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It takes some effort and patience to get all of the cocoa powder incorporated. Partway through, it’s going to look like there’s way too much cocoa powder and not enough liquid. Just keep stirring and mashing the mixture together with your fork. You can also switch to a spatula towards the end to get the last of the cocoa powder incorporated.

 

If at all possible, try to avoid adding liquid. If the mixture is too wet or sticky, it’ll be really hard to roll it into balls, even after chilling.

 

However, if you still can’t incorporate all of the cocoa powder after a few minutes of mashing everything together with a fork and spatula, then add extra maple syrup or milk (any type!) ½ teaspoon at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition, until all of the cocoa powder can be incorporated.

 

COCOA POWDER NOTES: For the best results, use natural unsweetened cocoa powder (also called natural cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder) that’s made from 100% cacao (nothing else!). I use Hershey’s the most.

 

I don’t recommend substituting Dutched cocoa powder (also called “special dark” cocoa powder) because it has a different acidity level. It also has a different flavor that’s much more mild and muted, so your truffles won’t taste as rich or chocolaty if you substitute it.

 

INSTANT COFFEE NOTE: Do not substitute regular coffee grounds for the instant coffee. You need the kind that will dissolve in liquid, and they can be found right next to the regular coffee grounds at the grocery store. Both regular instant coffee and decaf instant coffee will work.

 

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.

 

PEPPERMINT NOTE: For a more subtle peppermint flavor, use ⅛ teaspoon of peppermint extract. For a stronger, more potent peppermint taste, use ¼ teaspoon instead.

 

SUGAR-FREE VERSION: I tried using this sugar-free maple-flavored syrup, and it worked perfectly as a 1-for-1 substitute for the pure maple syrup.

 

I haven’t yet tried other sugar-free alternatives (such as monk fruit, monk fruit-based maple-flavored syrup, other sugar-free syrups, erythritol, sucralose, etc). However, I’ll update this section when I do!

 

GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: No modifications necessary.

 

DAIRY-FREE, EGG-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: No modifications necessary.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for about a week, if not longer!

 

{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, paleo, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low carb}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Truffles
♡  Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Truffles
♡  Dark Chocolate Orange Truffles
♡  Eggnog Truffles
♡  Flourless Peppermint Mocha Brownies
♡  Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
♡  Healthy Peppermint Mocha (Starbucks copycat!)
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy chocolate truffle recipes and mint chocolate-flavored recipes!