Cholesterol-Friendly Salted Chocolate Chia Truffles

These chocolate truffles contain dates, nuts and seeds, all of which help to lower cholesterol and provide tons of nutrients. They also contain 70% dark chocolate, which can help to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol when eaten in moderation.

Each truffle contains just over 6g of dark chocolate, so eating them in moderation is fine. Make sure you use chocolate that you like the taste of, rather than cooking chocolate or really dark bitter chocolate. My favourite is Lindt 70% dark chocolate, as I think it tastes a bit sweeter than other brands.

Information

Makes 16 truffles
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins + cooling time
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher)
10 Medjool dates, pitted & chopped
3 tbsp almond butter
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
Cocoa powder for sprinkling

Method

Break the chocolate bar into small pieces.
Pour some water (to about 2cm depth) into a medium sized saucepan and bring it to the boil.
Put the chocolate pieces in a heat-resistant mixing bowl, then place the bowl on top of the saucepan. Stir every so often until the chocolate has melted.
Add all the remaining ingredients, except the cocoa powder, to the bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.
Turn the heat off, then take the mixing bowl off the saucepan to cool down.
Once the mixture is cool enough, roughly divide the mixture in half, then half again. Take a quarter of each section and roll into ball shapes between your hands (you should end up with 16 individual balls).
Place the truffles on a plate/board lined with baking paper.
Place in the fridge until truffles harden.
Sift the cocoa powder over the top to lightly coat them.