Ok friends, I got the best dessert recipe to share, and it’s just in time for Valentine’s Day! But really, you can make it all year long when you are feeling like treating your family to a healthy sweet treat. In this recipe, you won’t find any added sugars or butter as you would typically expect in a sweet chocolate recipe, but instead, you will be using ingredients like cocoa powder, almond butter, dates, and nuts to bring this decadent treat together.
What you will need:
The full ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below, you will need:
Pitted Dates – You will need 2 cups of dates, about 15-17 dates per cup. If your dates look a little dry soak the dates for 10 minutes before using helps return moisture to the date. Be sure to remove the pit (if you purchased pitted dates).
Nuts – One cup in total. I often combine walnuts with almonds. You can use other nuts such as pecans or cashews. Ensure that it adds up to one full cup for the dough mixture to stick. I always have almonds and walnuts on hand because they are such a powerhouse of nutrient-dense ingredients, and my family loves them.
Cocoa powder – (Rodelles organic cocoa powder) is what gives it that rich chocolate flavor.
Almond butter -(Nuts to your Butter) will help bind the mixture into a dough. You can use any nut or seed butter here.
Non-dairy milk – I used Oat milk, but you can use any. This helps moistens the mixture.
Vanilla extract – (Simply Organic) offers a depth of flavor to the chocolate bites.
Salt – to balance out the sweetness from the dates.
You can stop here and shape your bites, or take it one step further and coat them in milk, dark, or white chocolate and sprinkle them with festive sprinkles or coconut flakes. I have tried many combinations and they are all amazing!
To make your chocolate glaze, you will need coconut oil and chocolate (dark, milk, or white chocolate), to melt.
Use sprinkles to top the glaze, coconut flakes, or flaky sea salt.
How to make these no-bake chocolate bites:
- Soak your dates in water to return the moisture to the dry fruit. If you are opening a fresh bag and you see that your dates are fresh, you can skip this step.
- Add dates and nuts to a food processor and blend until finely chopped (about 30 seconds).
- Next add vanilla extract, salt, cocoa powder, almond butter, and milk to the already-mixed nuts and dates.
- Process until all ingredients are well combined and a crumbly texture is formed.
- Transfer the mixture between two sheets of parchment paper and push down to mold the mixture together, use a rolling pin to roll it to an even thickness, and place it in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.
- Once set, use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes or simply roll them into balls.
- Make the glaze by melting chocolate with coconut oil. Dip each shape into chocolate and sprinkle on top.
- Place back into the fridge to allow the chocolate to set.
- Remove from fridge and enjoy.
How to store your chocolate Bites:
For storing. keep your healthy no-bake chocolate bites in an airtight container or Ziplock bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze these for up to two months.
This is a wonderful and fun recipe to do with your kids. My kids enjoy pressing the pulse button on the food processor and of course decorating the chocolate bites. This recipe is also a great way to expose your children to dates, nuts, and nut butter. My children continuously taste test every step of the way as we work through this recipe and luckily since all the raw ingredients are edible, I don’t worry about someone eating something they shouldn’t.
I hope you try these! If you are looking for a different kind of snack, check out my Crunchy Chickpea Snack recipes.
Did you try these healthy no-bake chocolate bites? Please leave a star rating and comment with your thoughts.
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Happy cooking!
-Inna
Print
Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Bites
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
Description
These healthy no-bake decadent chocolate bites are a great way to treat your kids to a homemade sweet treat without the added butter and sugars. Naturally sweetened with dates and full of nutty flavor from the walnuts and almonds. Plus, they are vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free and a great source of nutrients.
Ingredients
- 2 c of pitted dates
- 1 c of nuts (1/2 almonds, 1/2 walnuts)
- 1/4 c almond butter
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp of milk (optional: Oat, Almond, 2% cow’s milk)
Optional Chocolate Coating:
- 3/4 c chocolate of choice (dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate)
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Add date and nuts to a food processor and process until it is well broken up.
- Next, add vanilla, salt, cocoa powder, almond butter, and milk to the already-processed nuts and date mixture.
- Process until all ingredients are well combined and a crumbly yet sticky texture is formed.
- Transfer the mixture in between two pieces of parchment paper and push down to mold the mixture to an even thickness. Use a rolling pin to help roll into an even thickness and place in the fridge to set (about 30 minutes).
- Once your dough is set, use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes or roll them into balls. If you are rolling into balls, it may be easier to wet your hands slightly for better handling.
- Make the chocolate glaze by melting chocolate and a teaspoon of coconut oil. You can use a microwave to melt off the stovetop.
- Dip each bite into the chocolate and sprinkle with festive sprinkles, sea salt, and coconut flakes or leave it as is.
- Place back int he fridge to allow the coating to set (about 30 minutes).
- Remove from fridge and enjoy.
Notes
- If your dates are on the drier side, soak them in water for 10 minutes before adding them to the food processor. This will bring back the moisture in the fruit. Do not add the water it was sitting in, just the dates.
- You can use festive sprinkles, coconut flakes, or sea salt, or keep them plain.
- You do not need to add the chocolate coating to enjoy these bites, although they do add a nice sweetness, feel free to enjoy them once they have been shaped and set.
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Snack
