Cardamom & Cacao Truffles

Submitted by Chef Joey Z.

"I was looking for a low carb high fiber treat and came up with this one. Cardamom is originally from the east and used to flavour food and for medicinal purposes. It lends a very interesting and distinctive taste to foods. I like it and thought it would be a good addition to these truffles. I ground all my ingredients in my magic bullet and then processed the dough in my Kitchen Aid food processor. You can use either the dark or golden flax seeds in this recipe. This recipe can be doubled, but be aware they are rich, so you might want to make a single batch just to try them first. If you can't find organic then conventional will work just as well, though might not taste as good. You can also use ground carob or ground unsweetened chocolate in place of the cacao nibs if you don't have them."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 12 truffles

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup organic flax seed (ground)
• 3 tablespoons organic sunflower seeds (ground)
• 3 tablespoons organic sesame seeds (ground)
• 5 tablespoons organic cocoa nibs (divided)
• 1 tablespoon organic coconut (ground)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 3 tablespoons organic agave nectar, plus
• 1 teaspoon organic agave nectar

directions

1. Grind each of the seeds separately. Remove and add to a bowl and mix together.
2. Grind up the cacao nibs fine. Take out 3 tablespoons This will be to coat the truffles when they are done.
3. Add all the ingredients except the reserved ground cacao to the food processor and process for about a minute or two. Check the dough, if it sticks together and holds its shape after you roll it into a ball then its ready to roll into balls.
4. Put the remaining 3 tablespoons of ground cacao onto a deep bowl and roll the truffles in it. Try not to touch them, just roll them round and round in the cacao. This will coat them nice and smooth.
5. Chill and eat.
6. Bon Appetit!

Reviews

[basya]

These were a wonderful treat! I was out of sunflower seeds and substituted pecans. Also substituted date honey, Silan, for the agave nectar. I had to use my stick blender, which didn't get the flax seeds as fine as I'd like, but they were still a lot of fun. The cardamon and cocoa flavor is great. I am now a fan of cocoa nibs, having found a couple of fairly healthy dessert options for using them. I'm wondering if slightly toasting the sesame, sunflower, and flax seeds would make the nutrients more bioavailable. Could also be a new flavor nuance.

 

[Mia in Germany]

This is a very nice treat to go with turkish mokka. I used ground almonds instead of sunflower seeds and brown rice syrup instead of agave nectar. The almonds made them taste a little like marzipane, which is great with the cardamom. The cocoa nibs were not very satisfying, though, but that may be the sort of nibs I have. They're hard to get in Gemany and the ones I have don't taste cocoa-y at all, more flowery and fruity. Next time I'll try with unsweetened cocoa powder. Non the less a very tasty treat! Thanks for sharing. Made for Comfort Cafe Snow Queen Round 2010.