Healthy Dark Chocolate Strawberry Truffles
Yields: 16 truffles
 
These truffles are so easy to make, and they taste just as decadent as ones you’d buy from the store! They’re similar to 72% dark chocolate. They’ll keep for at least a week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  1. Add the strawberries to a food processor or blender, and pulse until smooth and liquidy. (You should end up with slightly more than ¼ cup of purée.)
  2. Add the cocoa powder to a small bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the strawberry purée and maple syrup. Stir until everything is completely incorporated. (It takes a bit of effort!) Chill the chocolate mixture for at least 30 minutes. (If chilling for longer than 2 hours, cover the top of the bowl. with foil or plastic wrap to prevent the chocolate mixture from drying out.)
  3. While the mixture chills, line a baking sheet with wax paper. Add the freeze dried strawberries to a zip-topped bag. Press out the air, and seal. Add that bag to another zip-topped bag, press out the air from that bag, and seal. Gently crush the strawberries with a rolling pin, pan, or plate until they turn into a fine powder. Transfer the power to a small bowl.
  4. Remove the chocolate mixture from the refrigerator, and roll it into 16 small spheres. After shaping each truffle, roll it in the freeze dried strawberry powder, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Once all of the truffles have been formed, transfer them to an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes: It’s important to measure the cocoa powder like this or with a kitchen scale to avoid adding too much. (Too much will dry out the mixture and make the truffles taste bitter!) The chocolate mixture requires quite a bit of stirring to fully incorporate all of the cocoa powder! If the cocoa powder hasn’t completely mixed into the other ingredients after a few minutes of stirring, add a tiny bit of milk (any kind will work), ½ teaspoon at a time, until the mixture comes together.

Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.

For a sweeter chocolate component, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of vanilla crème stevia along with the maple syrup. Alternatively, substitute additional maple syrup for an equal amount of the strawberry purée. However, the truffles won’t have as strong of a strawberry flavor if using the latter option.

I’ve found freeze dried strawberries at Trader Joe’s and Target!

The chocolate mixture tends to stick to your hands a bit, so wipe off your hands with a damp paper towel after shaping each truffle.

Here is my video on how to make truffles!

{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower carb, paleo}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/03/07/dark-chocolate-strawberry-truffles/