It’s February, the month of LOVE. Although love happens all year round, I don’t mind jumping on the happy train at various scheduled celebrations. So I came up with these, because Love inspired me to. There are two recipes here, but since I created them in the same day and photographed them together, you get them in one post. These little balls are quite a burst of flavor. I am especially happy with the Pistachio Delight as they are a new flavor creation of mine and I am super happy to share it with you. The Nutella Divine is just as the name suggests. Delicious of course as it has chocolate in it. The longest part of these recipes is rolling the balls, so if you want to minimize your active working time, I will offer an alternative at the end of the post. 
Ingredients for the Pistachio Delight:
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 coconut butter
- 1/4 cup lucuma powder
- 4 medjool dates
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
Steps:
- in a food processor blend all ingredients for a few minutes. It will take a little bit for the oils to releases and start binding together. When that starts, add the pistachios and finish blending until a somewhat ball is formed.
- the “dough” will be somewhat crumbly which is fine
- using a teaspoon, scoop out a bit of dough and press it in ball shape in between your fingers before rolling it in to a ball in between your palms
- place on a plate and set in fridge while making the coating
Cacao Coconut Coating:
- 1/8 cup melted cacao butter
- 1 TBS maple syrup
- 1/8 cup finely ground coconut shreds (I used a coffee grinder)
- combine everything in a bowl and mix well
Roll balls in coating and return to fridge to set. Makes about 35 small balls. Store in fridge.
Ingredients for Nutella Divine:
- 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 10 medjool dates
- 1/2 tsp hazelnut extract (optional)
- 1/4 cup + 2 TBS hazelnut butter
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
Steps:
- put everything in food processor and blend until a dough is formed.
- the “dough” will be somewhat crumbly which is fine
- using a teaspoon, scoop out a bit of dough and press it in ball shape in between your fingers before rolling it in to a ball in between your palms
- place on a plate and set in fridge while making the coating
Pink Coating:
- 1/8 cup cacao butter
- 1 TBS maple syrup
- 1 TBS beet juice
Roll balls in coating and set in fridge to set. Store balls in fridge. In the picture I also rolled some of the Pistachio Delight balls in the pink coating. Play around and spread the LOVE!!! Note: to save active working time you can press the mixture very firmly in a pan lined with parchment paper. Set it in the fridge or freezer to set for about 30 minutes (maybe a bit more if in the fridge?), then take out of pan and cut into squares. Proceed with dipping in coating all the same. Although these treats are amazing without the coating as well.
Pamplemousse 