Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Sally's Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Happy New Year!  For New Year's Eve I decided to make this dessert and bring them along to our celebration - in addition to ringing in the New Year with awesome friends, my all-time favorite culinary combination of chocolate and peanut butter represented a healthy yet decadent way to bring in 2013. 

Here's the recipe and please let me know your thoughts!  Wishing you all a year filled with health, love, laughter, joy and peace.

Sally’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls 

(Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Yield:  18 Balls

Ingredients (use organic when possible):

20 Medjool dates, seeded and halved

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter (i love the Trader Joe's brand)

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. natural raw cocoa powder (Navitas is an excellent brand)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup toasted almonds, well chopped - to toast the almonds, place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes)

Directions:

Put the dates and vanilla in a food processor and run until a chunky paste forms. Add the peanut butter and pulse a few more times. Add the coconut, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon and pulse a few more times.  If the mixture is too dry, add more peanut butter or a splash of water.  If the mixture feels too wet, add more coconut.

Roll a heaping Tbsp. of the mixture between your palms to form a ball.   Repeat with remaining mixture. Put your chopped almonds on a plate and roll each ball in the almonds (apply a bit of pressure to get them to adhere). Place the plate in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. These yummy balls will keep covered in the fridge for a couple weeks. They can also be frozen :).