Truffle Shuffle: Glory Be The Cacao Nib

The base for these here truffles is the great cacao nib, chock full of REAL HEALTH benefits. It's not your over processed, sugar and chemical laden grocery store chocolate, no no no.  And the cacao nib health realness surpasses that of the dark chocolate bar (even those of the fancy fair trade variety). Cacao comes from the seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree. It's chocolate in its realest and purest state. 

And since I'm all for eating to feel good and to look good, let's be real people - eating real food makes ya skin glow like a lightbulb, brings clarity to those peepers, helps you poop and de-bloat (sorry to write poop on a chocolate post), keeps the mind sharp and focused, calms those nerves (cause I know you're all up in arms from late hours and long days of work), improves sleep quality,  makes you feel wound up like a tinker toy (hello energy) and gives us a general sense of overall wellness. 

All of that from food. Make a few new choices, feel and look like a million bucks. And I'm giving you a good reason to START WITH CHOCOLATE! 

Dr. Axe writes, "Organic, raw cacao is a superfood containing a variety of unique phytonutrients, including high amounts of sulfur, magnesium and phenylethylamine. These characteristics provide many benefits, such as focus and alertness, while also keeping you in a great mood. Cacao nibs have more antioxidant activity than tea, wine, blueberries and even goji berries. Ultimately, it’s the flavonoids in cacao that makes it an above-and-beyond superfood."

And I put that in here because you'll likely believe a doctor over me, but I live this life of health with every beat of my pasta pumping heart. And cacao nibs run through me as much as olive oil. Yum.

This truffle is for the cacao nib beginner as when eaten solo they can be potent and a bit bitter. I liken the taste more to espresso over chocolate. When I eat them solo I enjoy them most with a banana oatmeal or in a yogurt bowl with some naturally sweet bites to cut the bitterness. 

Let these truffles be a source of delicious alertness, heart and nerve health, a speedy metabolism and your new favorite mood food.

All natural and loaded with almonds, coconut oil (hello, skin health) and cocoa powder (more good mood benefits) you can feel good about a late nite bite when a hankering comes on. 

And I know you may look at the ingredient list and start complaining. Well, stop it. Immediately.
If you’re gonna master freestyle home cooking and baking like a boss, you need a stocked
home and I will hear of no other thing. That means having on hand things like peanut butter
powder (which doubles for baking, smoothies and dressing oatmeal bowls), and
cacao nibs (which also serve the same 3 functions). I promise these are worth the standing
and rolling. A little standing never hurt nobody. Most of us sit all day anyway.

XO

Ingredients + Directions

• 1 c. Cacao Nibs
• ½ c. Chocolate Chips / Semi-Sweet Morsels
• ½ c. Almonds or Roasted Peanuts
• 2 T. Peanut Butter Powder
• ¼ c. Unsweetened Cocoa
• ¼ c. Raw Honey, Maple Syrup or Agave
• 1 T. Coconut Oil
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract 
• Pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt

Chopped nuts or unsweetened coconut flakes mixed with a sprinkle of organic coconut or
Cane sugar for another pop of sweetness (optional, but note made here as the cacao nibs
make this truffle a little more intense - with notes of espresso - and the very very slight
addition of sugar to the outside coating alleviates any “bitter” taste you may get, although
I love them as is!).

• Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until combined, you’ll notice the texture and that they’re not completely smooth (which makes these even more satisfying because of all the mouth feels you get in every bite!)
• Start rolling (I like to make em bite sized since they pack a richness and punch) and coat!
• Store in airtight container (I wrap them in individual candy wrappers for ultimate freshness and because I often give them away and when they’re wrapped it’s another step for me get to them as opposed to instantly popping them in my mouth - true story) for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator!