Healthy Eggnog Truffles

 
A few years ago, my mom helped her parents fly from Arizona to Northern California for Christmas. When we realized it was probably the last time they’d make their usual holiday trip, we tried to fit in as many special things as possible: brunch at everyone’s favorite restaurant for blueberry coffee cake, driving by the houses in our town with the best Christmas light displays, and a tour of my mom’s new office.  

Since we stopped by Mom’s work on Christmas Eve, the parking lot and building were completely empty, which made it easy for Mom to give us the grand tour. She led us up the staircase and through the glass entry doors, pointed out the unique Petri dish artwork in the reception area (she leads a science team!), and walked us to her brand new corner office.
 

 
After we laughed at the Einstein figurine and pictures of us adorning her desk, she continued the tour. We saw where the rest of her team worked, the other divisions on the opposite side of the hall, the spacious meeting rooms, and the communal kitchen with an adjoining library, which included a ladder on wheels to help people climb up to the tallest shelves to reach the books at the very top.

As someone who loved the library ladder scenes from “Beauty and the Beast,” I asked my mom if I could clamber up the ladder… And then she took a photo of my brother and me on it!

Before heading out, we passed through the festively decorated kitchen, and Mom pointed out all of the holiday treats still lingering: plenty of candy canes, bowls of individually wrapped chocolates, and boxes of truffles from See’s Candy. Knowing many of the people wouldn’t return until after New Year’s, we figured many of the chocolates and candies would probably turn a bit stale… So she said we could each take one or two for the road!
 

 
We peeked inside the box of See’s, but our smiles momentarily faded. The paper insert describing each candy had disappeared, so we had no idea about the flavors of each one! Mom played it safe, reaching for one she had already sampled a few days prior (she hates coffee and always dreads accidentally biting into one of those!), but I just reached for the one that looked the most dark chocolaty. (I ended up finding a luxurious dark chocolate ganache filling inside!)

Knowing how much Mom looks forward to See’s holiday boxes of chocolate truffles, I thought it’d be fun to make a homemade batch for her with a fun flavor that she’d truly enjoy. And since she looks forward to eggnog even more than Christmas chocolates…
 

 
I combined her two holiday favorites into these Healthy Eggnog Truffles! They’re deliciously sweet and full of that iconic rich spiced eggnog flavor, and they’re coated in a layer of decadent dark chocolate. (Mom definitely passed along her dark chocolate obsession to me!)

Yet unlike the ones from See’s… These healthy truffles contain no butter, oil, heavy cream or dairy — and they’re 23 calories too!
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY EGGNOG TRUFFLES

Let’s go over how to make these healthy eggnog truffles! You’ll start with the eggnog filling, which only requires 1 bowl. (The other bowl is for your melted chocolate, which we’ll get to in a minute!)

And for the filling, you’ll obviously need eggnog! Even though eggnog is totally safe to consume, I’ve always felt a little weird about drinking eggs… So I actually prefer buying vegan “eggnog” that’s egg-free and dairy-free! This is the exact one I buy. Even the die-hard eggnog purists in my family admitted that it had the same flavor as regular old-fashioned eggnog!

Bonus: If you use this vegan eggnog like I did, your healthy eggnog truffles are dairy-free, egg-free, and totally vegan!

Double Bonus: The vegan eggnog I use has just 50 calories in each ½ cup serving… Compared to 180 calories in each ½ cup serving of traditional eggnog. That really helps keep your healthy eggnog truffles low calorie (and low fat)!
 

 
Of course, every good glass of eggnog usually comes with a sprinkling of spice on top… So you’ll add ground nutmeg and cinnamon to your healthy eggnog truffle filling too! (This is my favorite cinnamon; it tastes much richer and sweeter than regular kinds!)

To sweeten the filling, you’ll use a small amount of liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!), and it’s also highly concentrated. This is really important for these healthy eggnog truffles!

Why? Well, if you want your truffles to truly taste like eggnog, then you want to add as much eggnog as possible in the filling. But if you used other sweeteners — pure maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar, things like that — then those would add liquid volume to the filling… Which means you’d have to use less eggnog in order to roll the filling into little spheres.

Therefore, instead of eggnog-flavored truffles, you’d only be able to taste the cinnamon and nutmeg… Which would taste delicious — don’t get me wrong! — but they wouldn’t actually taste like eggnog truffles.

So that’s where the liquid stevia comes in! It’s so concentrated that you only need ¾ teaspoon to sweeten your entire batch of two dozen healthy eggnog truffles. That’s the equivalent of about 6 tablespoons of sugar! By using this liquid stevia, you get eggnog truffles with the perfect texture and the perfect eggnog flavor. Hooray!

Tip: Liquid stevia isn’t a one-time-use ingredient. You can use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!
 

 
Finally, you’ll stir oat flour into your filling bowl. Oat flour is literally just finely ground oats… But somehow, “powdered oats” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it! 😉 This is my favorite store-bought option (or this for a gluten-free version) because it’s so fine and powdery, which creates the best texture for these healthy eggnog truffles. I also show you how to make your own oat flour at home here!

Tip: Oat flour tends to be pretty absorbent, so make sure you measure it correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much will make your filling dry and crumbly, which will make it hard to roll it into balls. But if that happens to you, just add a teensy bit more eggnog until the filling comes together!

Then once you’ve rolled the filling into small spheres (they should be bite-sized!), it’s time to dip them into melted chocolate! Which brings me to…
 

TIPS FOR DIPPING HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

I’ve made a few different flavors of healthy homemade chocolate truffles, along with lots of healthy homemade peanut butter cups and the best ever chocolate covered strawberries, so… I’ve learned a lot of tips about melting and dipping treats in chocolate!

To help you make the best ever healthy eggnog truffles, let’s cover those tips!
 

WHAT’S THE BEST CHOCOLATE FOR TRUFFLES?

This is actually the most important part! Not all chocolate works equally well. For the best healthy eggnog truffles, you want to use bars of high-quality dark chocolate. My favorite brands are Lindt and Ghirardelli. Their bars of 70%+ dark chocolate melt into really thin and smooth liquids, and that thin consistency makes it much easier to get an even coating on your healthy eggnog truffles.

Do NOT use chocolate chips! They contain a stabilizer, which prevents them from melting the same way as bars of chocolate.

Also, I recommend that you do not use “milkier” brands of dark chocolate, such as Hershey’s special dark or Cadbury dark chocolate. When melted, both of these brands are much thicker and (for lack of a better word) goopier, which makes it frustrating to dip your truffles. If those are the only chocolate bars you have access to, then add some oil to your chocolate to help thin it out!
 

SHOULD YOU KEEP THE MELTED CHOCOLATE WARM?

Once you’ve melted your dark chocolate (I do this in short intervals in the microwave!), then it’s time to dip your healthy eggnog truffles! It’ll actually be much easier to dip all 24 truffles if you keep your melted chocolate warm.

So… Yes! Keep that melted chocolate warm!

And to do that, I use my favorite candy-making tool…
 

 
A panini press! 😉 Okay, so that’s not exactly everyone’s favorite candy-making tool… But here’s why it works!

If you have a panini press like mine (my exact panini press isn’t sold in stores anymore, but this one is really similar!) with a metal top, that metal top heats up when it’s plugged in. Lay a washcloth on top of the metal top, and put your bowl of melted chocolate on the washcloth. Voilà! That keeps your bowl of melted chocolate warm, which means your dark chocolate stays melted throughout the entire process of coating your healthy eggnog truffles.

If you don’t keep your melted chocolate warm, then it starts to harden… Which means your truffles end up with uneven and speckled-looking coatings.
 

 
Then my last two tips are…

Sprinkle your healthy eggnog truffles with a little bit of flaky sea salt after dipping them for a pretty finishing touch, and then pop the tray in the refrigerator to help the chocolate harden faster. That means you get to eat your truffles that much sooner!
 

 
And I hope you enjoy every one! (No judgment from me if you decide not to share!) 😉 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 eggnog truffles!

Healthy Eggnog Truffles

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 24 truffles

These truffles are such a fun holiday treat! They have a festive eggnog-flavored filling with the perfect amount of cozy spices, an incredibly smooth and rich dark chocolate coating, and a teensy bit of flaky sea salt on top for the perfect finishing touch. They’re my new favorite holiday candy! Leftover truffles will keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 week. (See the Notes section below for more information!)

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients 

• 5 tbsp (75mL) almond milk “eggnog” (← that’s the one I use!)
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
• 1 cup (120g) oat flour (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
• ¼ cup (54g) roughly chopped dark chocolate (see Notes!)
• optional: flaky sea salt (for finishing – highly recommended!)

Instructions

• Place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on a baking tray.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the eggnog, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, and liquid stevia. Add in the oat flour, stirring until just incorporated.
• Working with a small amount of the mixture at a time, roll into a bite-sized sphere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture. (Rub your fingers and palms with a little neutral-tasting oil first if it sticks to them! If the mixture is too dry to roll, then see the Notes section below.)
• Place the dark chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir for 1 minute. Continue to heat for 10-second intervals, stirring for 1 minute between each, until the chocolate has completely melted. (I highly recommend keeping it warm while you assemble your truffles! See the Notes below!)
• Working with one filling sphere at a time, carefully dip it in the melted chocolate using two forks, and let the excess drip off by rocking it between the two forks. Place back onto the wax paper. If using the flaky sea salt, sprinkle a small amount on the top of the dipped truffle (see Notes!). Repeat with the remaining chocolate and filling spheres.
• Once all 24 truffles have been coated, place them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes (or the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes) or until the chocolate has hardened. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Notes

Just about any eggnog can be substituted for the vegan almond milk “eggnog!” This includes soy milk eggnog, coconut milk eggnog, light eggnog, and traditional eggnog. However, if using traditional or coconut milk eggnog, you may need to add a bit more because they’re often thicker in consistency than almond milk, soy milk, and light eggnog.

 

This is my favorite store-bought oat flour (or this for a gluten-free version!) because it’s so fine and powdery. If you’d like to make your own instead, I show you how here!

 

Any flour except coconut flour may be substituted for the oat flour. When substituting gluten-free flours, the texture of the filling will vary (and typically be grainier).

 

Remember to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your filling, and it will be too crumbly to roll. If this happens to you, stir in additional eggnog, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the filling comes together.

 

I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too! I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. For sweeter filling, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon.

 

I do not recommend substituting liquid sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey, or agave. I also don’t recommend substituting solid sweeteners such as coconut sugar, maple sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar. Please see the text of my blog post above for why those aren’t good alternatives.

 

Use regular bars of chocolate for the coating, NOT chocolate chips! Chocolate bars melt better and taste smoother than chocolate chips, which often contain a stabilizer to help them hold their shape. I love Ghirardelli and Lindt for this! (Other “milkier” brands like Hershey’s special dark or Cadbury are much thicker when they melt, so I haven’t had good luck with them.)

 

To keep your bowl of melted chocolate warm, (a) turn on an electric pancake griddle or a metal panini press {I don’t have the former, so this is what I use! mine is no longer sold in stores, but this panini press is very similar to mine!} and (b) place a washcloth that’s been folded in half in between the bottom of your bowl and the electric griddle or metal top of the panini press. If you use this set-up, your bowl of chocolate should stay warm and at the same consistent temperature, which makes coating your truffles cups so much easier. (They’ll also look prettier! If you let the bowl of chocolate sit on your counter and periodically reheat it, your truffles will look speckled.)

 

This is the flaky sea salt that I use! I usually crush it a bit between my fingers before sprinkling it because the flakes are so big. I’ve also found that it sometimes dissolves in the melted chocolate if you sprinkle it too soon after dipping, so I like to dip about 3 or 4 truffles, then sprinkle them with the sea salt to give the chocolate a bit of time to start setting first. (The salt will also dissolve if you seal the truffles inside of an airtight container to refrigerate.)

 

For more tips and information, please see my blog post above!

 

{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, low fat, low sugar}

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.

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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthier Eggnog Snickerdoodles
♡  Healthy Eggnog Sugar Cookies
♡  Healthy Eggnog Cupcakes
♡  Healthier Eggnog Fudge
♡  Healthier Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
♡  Healthy Eggnog Pound Cake
♡  Healthy Eggnog Scones
♡  Healthier Baked Eggnog Donut Holes
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy candy recipes!