Homemade valentines treats:  Coconut & chocolate !

Coconut macaroons meet dark chocolate truffles in these little treats. Inside the snap of the dark chocolate shell lies the tender coconut-cocoa filling: a mix of naturally sweet dates, cocoa and coconut flour!

How to make it a green valentine’s day?

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole dates, pitted and coarsely chopped (16-18 large)
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Preparation:

  1. Place dates in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over them and let stand until cool, about 40 minutes and then move to a food processor. Add vanilla and salt and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice. Add coconut flour and cocoa and process, scraping the sides occasionally, until a thick doughlike paste forms. Refrigerate until very cold, 2 to 3 hours.
  2. On a baking sheet,using 2 teaspoons per truffle, roll the mixture into about 40 balls.
  3. Place half the chocolate in a glass bowl and melt the chocolate using a bahn mary (double bowl), stirring in between, until it is about half melted. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until completely melted. Place coconut in a shallow dish.
  4. Add about 4 date balls at a time to the melted chocolate. Working quickly, use 2 forks to roll each ball in the chocolate until coated. Use a fork to transfer the truffles one at a time to the coconut, letting excess chocolate drip off first. Sprinkle with coconut to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
  5. When the first batch of chocolate is gone and about half the date balls are coated, melt the remaining chocolate and coat the remaining balls with chocolate and coconut. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour.

Happy Valentines day!