Heart Healthy Peppermint Truffles

Wow, is it ever snowy! It snowed right up until about 4pm tomorrow and we woke up to more snow this morning.  So much for all the shoveling I did.  Such is life in Canada.  So its a perfect day to stay inside and eat bon bons.  Healthy ones, of course.

The girls and I made these for Adam for Valentine's Day, but I will openly admit to have gobbled up my fair share, as did the girls.

Normally, I have little patience for cooking or baking with the girls because I hate mess and I hate waste and there is a lot of both when they are 'helping' me.

Nevertheless, they are old enough now to be somewhat useful, especially for getting them to do tasks I hate: like rolling things into balls and dipping them in chocolate.  They actually did a fantastic job in this case, although, I know a lot of the motivation came from being able to lick their fingers.  I don't think they would have been nearly as eager to assist if I said we were making meatballs. Am I violating any child labour laws? I hope not. 

Adam adores a lot of high fat foods: red meat, chicken wings, chocolate, chocolate chip cookies full of butter and sugar, etc.  Unfortunately, his cholesterol does not.  I knew he would be most happy if I made him a Valentine's treat that both indulged his love of chocolate but was also healthy.  These fit the bill perfectly.  In fact, they are made with a secret ingredient that neither he nor the girls realized, and one that is definitely heart healthy: black beans!  Yep, the centre is made from black beans! So these little treats are also full of protein and fibre too.  Free of sugar, and vegan, if you care. Take that Laura Secord!

If you don't like chocolate mint, you can sub vanilla or almond extract instead.  If you don't want to use the NuNaturals Cocoa Mint Syrup, you can sub the regular Cocoa flavour, or another liquid sweetener such as agave or honey.

Heart Healthy Peppermint Truffles

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup baking stevia (that measures equivalent to sugar)
2 scoops vegan or whey protein powder, chocolate flavour, sweetened with stevia
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup NuNaturals Cocoa Mint Syrup
1 tsp pure peppermint extract

Coating
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (preferably stevia-sweetened)
2 tbsp. coconut oil

Puree the beans in your blender or food processor until smooth.  Add all the other ingredients for the centre and blend until it forms a ball.  Refrigerate at least one hour until firm. Roll into balls.

For the coating, melt chips and oil in a heat-safe bowl set over simmering water.  Stir until smooth and let cool.  Using 2 forks, dip each truffle into chocolate and place on wax paper-lined baking sheet.  Chill until coating is set.  Keep truffles refrigerated for up to 1 week.

I have shared this recipe with Urban Naturale's Plant-Based Pot-Luck Party and Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten-Free Friday.