Chocolate can easily be part of a healthy diet. Also, regularly including some chocolate in your diet may help you from bingeing on it down the road. If you would like to learn more about chocolate, and how to include it in your healthy diet go check out this article here. Then make sure you come back and learn about how to make these decadent chocolatey brownie balls.

These vegan, wheat free, Paleo friendly brownie balls were quite the hit with my whole family.  They are rich enough, that one can satisfy a sweet tooth without completely ruining your calories or macros. Honestly, they taste like raw brownie dough, just without the whole raw egg thing.

While are delicious fresh, I like to keep mine in the freezer.  Not only do they keep longer this way, but also I am less likely to over indulge in them.  Out of sight, out of mind.

If you don’t want to make your own almond paste for this recipe, you could use pre-made almond butter.  I really recommend grinding up your own almond paste for this though, it tastes better and has a better consistency.  Plus, you’ll already be using your food processor.

Brownie balls (Wheat Free, Vegan Paleo Friendly )

1.5 cups almonds, raw unsalted

½ cup hazelnuts

12 whole Medjool Dates

2 tsp vanilla extract

3-4 tb water

½ tsp kosher salt

½ cup cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 and lay almonds on one half of a tray and hazelnuts on the other half.  Do not mix them up. Roast in oven for 10 mins.  Keep a close eye on them.  The hazelnuts may be done before 10 mins is up.
2. Once roasted, place hazelnuts in a kitchen towel. Rub them with the towel, using the friction to remove the skins.  Then place all but 20 hazelnuts in a food processor.  Pulse till coarsely chopped. Remove to a small bowl and set aside.
3. While the almonds are still warm place in food processor, and process till it is almond paste. (not quite almond butter state).  It will still thick like paste, not thin and runny like almond butter.
4. Add dates and pulse in food processor until paste like.
5. Add cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt and just 3 tablespoons water.  Process till combined, you may need to add an additional tablespoon of water to get it well combined.
6. Using a melon baller or tablespoon, scoop out a portion, and roll it around one of the whole hazelnuts.  Then roll the ball in the chopped hazelnuts.
7. They are perfect as they are or store them in the freezer.

 

Makes 20 balls.  Nutrition info for 1 ball:  127 calories, 7 grams fat, 15 grams carbohydrate and 3 grams protein.

 

Inspired by a recipe for Cooking Light Magazine and my gal Emma over at Betterwithcake.com