valentine’s ex machina: his and hers truffles

In honor of Valentine’s Day we’re highlighting the food of the gods, cacao, with a his and her truffle duo. Who doesn’t like chocolate, right? And if they don’t, they’re probably not to be trusted.

If you have a date for this Valentine’s holiday, make sure to make both of these recipes and share them with your special someone. If you’re celebrating Singles Awareness Day, make both of them anyway and enjoy both flavors without having to share!

In our special edition Valentine truffles, both flavors highlight health-promoting herbs paired with decadent cacao. These truffles are delicious on their own, but are made to be shared with someone special. Each truffle flavor is made to juxtapose the other in both flavor and the in feeling it promotes.

Feminine flavors of rose and white chocolate naturally balance the heartier, more masculine qualities of bittersweet cacao and sage. Plus, using a high-quality cacao has plenty of benefits simply on it’s own. Our truffle recipes are naturally vegan and made without any refined sugar so you can feel good about eating more than one of these treats.

In case you needed more convincing to try these treats,
here are a few benefits of cacao:

Cacao has the highest antioxidant content of any food. It is a potent aphrodisiac that contains Phenylethylamine (PEA), also known as the love chemical that contributes to an overall state of euphoria, mood elevation, focus and that feeling we associate with being in love. Great for Valentine’s Day, yeah?

Here’s some more cool qualities of cacao:

Cacao contains Tryptophan, the essential amino acid and mood-enhancer critical for production of serotonin – our primary neurotransmitter. It also contains Anandamides, a chemical naturally found in the brain known as the “bliss chemical” which produces a ‘natural high’. Cacao can also increase the effectiveness of the mood-lifting brain chemical Noradrenalin, which increases feelings of joy (also found in blue-green algae) and additionally causes dopamine levels to rise.

White Chocolate, Tahini and Rose Truffles

Yields 12-16 truffles

6 ounces (3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon ) raw cacao butter
1/4 cup tahini
5 tablespoon full fat coconut milk, well shaken
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon rosewater or 3 drops of essential oil
pinch Himalayan salt

For Coating:

2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 tablespoon dried organic rose petals, finely ground

1. Place finely chopped cacao butter and tahini in a medium-sized glass mixing bowl.

2. In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut milk, coconut sugar, and salt until just below a simmer and all solid have been dissolved.

3. While still hot, pour the coconut milk over the cacao butter and tahini and loosely cover with a lid or towel. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes, then lift cover and use a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula to gently combine the mixture while trying not to incorporate air. Continue stirring until completely melted and smooth. If there are still pieces of unmelted cacao butter in the mixture, you can set the saucepan with a small amount of water to simmer and your bowl over the top to make a bain marie. Just make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to gently stir until completely smooth, but do not allow the mixture to cook over the heat.

4. Stir in the rosewater once the mixture has become smooth and then leave in the refrigerator to chill, uncovered for 2-3 hours. It should be mostly solid but still soft enough to scoop.

5. While the chocolate is setting, make the truffle coating by powdering the dried rose petals in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. Add the coconut sugar to the rose powder and combine. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.

6. Use a 1/2 ounce sized scoop or a tablespoon measure (just be care not to bend your measuring spoons!) to scoop out small balls of the truffle batter. Using your hands, gently roll the chocolate into spheres. The batter becomes soft and gooey very fast, so work quickly and keep the truffle batter in the refrigerator while rolling the truffles so the batter doesn’t become too soft to handle.

7. Toss the rolled truffles in a generous amount of the coating mixture. Lightly coat your fingers in the coating while picking up the truffles so that you don’t remove any coating or leave fingerprints while transferring them to a plate. Set the finished truffles on a parchment-lined airtight container in the refrigerator to store.

8. Let the truffles come to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Dark Chocolate, Honey, Darjeeling & Sage Truffles

Yields 12-16 truffles

9 ounces (1 1/4 cup) vegan dark chocolate, very finely chopped (72% cacao or higher) or raw cacao paste
6 tablespoons full fat coconut milk, well shaken
1 tablespoon raw honey, plus 1 tablespoon coconut sugar if using cacao paste
1 tablespoon darjeeling tea
pinch of Himalayan salt

For Coating:

Candied sage leaves (recipe below)
1 tablespoon darjeeling tea, finely ground
1 tablespoon coconut sugar

For Candied Sage Leaves:

3/4 ounce package organic sage leaves
3 tablespoons grade B maple syrup

​1. Lightly coat the fresh sage leaves in maple syrup. Transfer the coated leaves on to an open dehydrator screen and dehydrate at 150F overnight or until completely dry and crispy. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dehydrate them in the oven at the lowest temperature setting with the door cracked. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

1. Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium-sized glass mixing bowl.

2. In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut milk, honey, optional additional sugar, and salt until just below a simmer and all solid have been dissolved.

3. While still hot, pour the coconut milk over the chocolate and loosely cover with a lid or towel. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes, then lift cover and use a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula to gently combine the mixture while trying not to incorporate air. Continue stirring until completely melted and smooth. If there are still pieces of unmelted chocolate in the mixture, you can set the saucepan with a small amount of water to simmer and your bowl over the top to make a bain marie. Just make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to gently stir the chocolate until completely smooth, but do not allow the mixture to cook over the heat.

4. Set the mixture in the refrigerator to chill, uncovered for 2-3 hours. It should be mostly solid but still soft enough to scoop.

5. While the chocolate is setting, make the truffle coating by powdering the darjeeling tea and candied sage leaves in blender or coffee grinder. Reserve a few whole candied sage leaves for garnish. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.

6. Use a 1/2 ounce sized scoop or a tablespoon measure (just be care not to bend your measuring spoons!) to scoop out small balls of the truffle batter. Using your hands, gently roll the chocolate into spheres. The batter becomes soft and gooey very fast, so work quickly and keep the truffle batter in the refrigerator while rolling the truffles so the batter doesn’t become too soft to handle.

7. Toss the rolled truffles in a generous amount of the coating mixture. Lightly coat your fingers in the coating while picking up the truffles so that you don’t remove any coating or leave fingerprints. Set the finished truffles on a parchment-lined airtight container in the refrigerator to store.

8. Let the truffles come to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.