Cook, For Goodness Sake!

By Linda Garrettson

It’s February. The image that comes to mind is Valentine’s Day and a red heart-shaped box of chocolates. A vision of a sampler containing chocolate creams, caramels, nuts and truffles quickly pops into my head. I wonder if there could be another option for these yummy and decadent collections?

My salivating taste buds soon find the answer in a recipe from Dr. Dean Ornish’s “UnDo It!” book on reversing heart disease. Heart-healthy chocolate truffles? Seriously? But there it was—one simple recipe packed with an abundance of blood-pressure-lowering, flavonoid-loaded, inflammation-fighting antioxidant abundance and, yes, decadence.

Dates, particularly Medjool dates—a key ingredient in this recipe—are nutrient-dense and will satisfy any sweet tooth. Cocoa powder, unlike sweetened high-fat chocolate, can help lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

Vanilla extract and sea salt, which is full of minerals, round it off. You can further the decadent experience by soaking the dates in a bit of your favorite spirit.

So here’s to February and a red heart-shaped box of sweets that are also good for your heart!

Cocoa Truffles

Ingredients:

1 cup firmly packed and pitted

Medjool dates

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder,

plus ¼ cup for rolling

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. fine sea salt

Method:

Place dates in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse dates several times to make a smooth paste. Add ½ cup cocoa powder, 2 tbsp. warm water, vanilla and salt. Pulse until mixture is smooth and forms a ball. Add 1 to 2 tsp. water if mixture is too stiff. (If dates are not soft, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes, drain and pulse in food processor.)

Place mixture in a bowl and use a 1 tbsp. measure to roll each ball, shaping them between your palms.

Finish by rolling the truffles in remaining ¼ cup of cocoa powder. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 16 truffles.

Revised from “UnDo It!,” by Dean Ornish, M.D., and Anne Ornish.

Variations:

Turn your truffles into whiskey, bourbon or rum balls by soaking dates in 1/8 cup of a spirit for several hours or overnight. You can also experiment with different extracts, such as almond, peppermint or lemon.

Get creative with your Valentine’s sampler—your heart and sweetheart will love it.