Recipe: Date and Orange Truffles

Hello Everyone!

I trust you all had a fabulous Easter weekend despite the damp and gloomy weather we saw here in England - hopefully all the chocolate made for sunnier times!

On Easter Sunday we uploaded the second edition of the free Devnaa recipe booklet 'Sugar and Spice' and this week I'll be uploading each of the recipes to our blog too - starting with this quick and simple recipe for dark chocolate, date and orange truffles, enjoy! :)

Inspired by Mum’s traditional date mithai (Indian sweets) these are like grown up versions of chocolate truffles, loved amongst the older generation of my family as they contain very little added sugar and instead take their flavour from the naturally sweet dates and orange in the filling. These are really easy to make and are delicious served at family gatherings, especially around Christmas time.

Ingredients:

100g Dried, Pitted Dates
1 tbsp Double Cream
1 tbsp Orange Blossom Water
½ tsp Ground Cardamom
2 tsp Finely Grated Orange Zest
75g Dark Chocolate (roughly chopped)

Method:

• Crumble the dates into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute to 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the dates are soft enough to mash
• Place the softened dates in a blender with the cream and orange water
• Pulse until the mixture has turned into fairly smooth, thick paste
•   Fold in the cardamom and 1 teaspoon of the orange zest
• Divide this mixture into about 12 to 15 equal pieces and roll them into smooth balls
• Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted, runny and glossy
• Dip the date balls in chocolate to cover and then transfer them to a plate lined with greaseproof paper
• Whilst the chocolate is still wet sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of orange zest on top of the truffles to garnish
• Allow to set in a cool place, serve at room temperature.

The full recipe booklet can be found here or via our Facebook and Twitter pages.