Tahini, Date & Chocolate Truffles
a 5-ingredient refined sugar-free treat
These are forever known as magic balls to me. Yes, I realize this leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and lord knows what kind of keyword traffic that's going to lead to In Jennie's Kitchen. Once you learn why, you'll understand the beauty and well, magic, of these Tahini, Date & Chocolate Truffles. They’re the perfect treat to satisfy a sweet tooth when you don’t want a sugar overload.
A few years ago while in Hudson, NY, I popped into Talbot & Harding to check it out. This was in their old location on Warren Street. Their Tahini, Date & Chocolate Truffles caught my eye immediately.
They actually called them balls, and I just chuckled to myself that no one could figure out a better name for them. For the sake of writing about them here, we're going with truffles. I bought one single, solitary ball truffle to try, and took it on a piece of paper to go. One bite, and I was weak in the knees. They taste like a grown up Tootsie roll.
I went home that night and started tinkering in the kitchen. I suppose I could've just called the store to ask for the recipe, but I geek out on reconstructing a recipe. It only took two passes to get the consistency and flavor I wanted.
Dates lend a natural sweetness to the truffles, while cocoa satisfies the chocolate lover’s craving. I've been in a love affair with anything sesame since as long as I can remember, and in case you didn’t realize, tahini is simply ground sesame seeds.
You can play around a bit with the extracts if you like. Swap in almond or orange for the vanilla. Try rolling the shaped truffles in finely ground almond meal, shredded coconut, or cocoa powder, if you like, too.
