Crunchy Quinoa Almond Butter Truffles

Dark chocolate makes these sinfully delicious–and good for you! I tried them for the first time this morning and they were a hit with the kids as well. No processed sugar or gluten!!! They are a great substitute for buckeyes and deer dung and are made with heart-healthy quinoa!

I always double the recipe because you store them in the freezer so they won’t expire.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tsp melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons of coconut sugar
1 1/2 cups of unsweetened drippy almond butter-I use Trader Joe's
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons of gluten free oat flour or almond flour-I used almond flour
7 ounces of 72% or higher dark chocolate
course sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa to a small saucepan and place over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and stir coconut oil and coconut sugar in the pan with the quinoa. Dump on prepared baking sheet and use a spatula to evenly spread quinoa. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa turns golden brown and is crunchy in texture; stir twice throughout the baking time to ensure even toasting. After baking, set aside to cool for two minutes.
While quinoa is toasting, you can prepare almond butter truffles. In a medium bowl, stir together almond butter, vanilla extract and maple syrup until well combined. Add in oat or almond flour and stir to combine. The dough should be soft. Fold in toasted quinoa — I like to use my hands here. Roll dough into 20 balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
After almond butter balls have been frozen and are ready to be coated: melt dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Once chocolate is melted, dip each ball in chocolate until it is fully coated. Tip: Place a fork under each truffle and gently place the truffle in the melted chocolate. I always have a spoon with me as well to ensure that I can spoon chocolate over the truffle. Lift the truffle up and tap the fork against the top of the saucepan then transfer to a baking sheet and slide fork out.
Sprinkle truffles with coarse sea salt then place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes or until they harden. Makes 20 truffles.

Is chocolate good for you?
Find out the heart-healthy benefits of chocolate.