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+ servings
5 chocolate espresso balls on a white plate.
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5 from 5 votes

Chocolate Espresso Fig Balls

Chocolate Espresso Fig Balls are a 2-bite healthy no bake dessert. Prepared with dark rich cocoa, espresso, dried figs and toasty almonds for a guilt free, no added sugar, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan dessert.
Prep Time25 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1
Calories: 90kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

  • 5.3 oz dried figs
  • ¾ cup dried pitted dates
  • Boiling water
    enough to cover the figs and dates to soften
  • 1.5 cups dry roasted almonds
    toasted
  • 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 teaspoon espresso instant coffee
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
    (optional or honey)
  • 2 teaspoon hot water as needed to get the mixture to blend

Instructions

  • Remove the stems from the figs. Place your dried figs and dried dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water and let set for 15 minutes. (Set aside a few tablespoons of water for blending) Drain water from dates and figs. Set aside.
  • In the meantime, put your dry roasted toasted almonds (or nut of choice) in the food processor and grind until fine granules. Do not over churn or your will have almond butter.
  • Place your soaked and drained figs and dates into the food processor with your ground almonds. Add in unsweetened cocoa powder, espresso instant coffee, ground cinnamon, salt and maple syrup to sweeten as desired. Blend ingredients with food processor. You may need to scrape down the side of the food processor. This blending process takes about 1-2 minutes. You may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of the hot water used to soak the figs and dates to get the figgy paste moving in the food processor. Only add a very small amount of water. Your goal is a very thick paste that you can roll into balls.
  • Remove blade from food processor. Roll your thick paste into about 1.5-inch balls and place on a waxed paper line baking sheet. Dust with a little unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Freeze or refrigerate until ready to serve. Chocolate Espresso Fig Balls can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can keep them in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. However, we like to freeze them as we prefer their firmer texture.
  • When you are ready to serve your Chocolate Espresso Fig Balls, remove from the freezer and allow to come to room temperature for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

You can also make this recipe without a food processor. You will need to chop everything finely and then use a mortar and pestle to incorporate everything into a paste.
We only like our treats delicately sweet. Sometimes, we do not add any maple syrup at all but just enjoy the natural sweetness of the figs and dates. However, we are certain you may like it a little sweeter. Both unsweetened cocoa powder and espresso granules add a punch of flavor but are not sweet. Our suggestion is to first taste test a little bit the recipe without any maple syrup or honey first. Then, add the maple syrup or honey sweetener to your preferred sweetness level. Maybe start out with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey, blend, test it and then add a tablespoon at a time until you hit your target level.
We used Medaglia D’oro espresso instant coffee granules in our recipe. You could also try instant coffee as well. If you do not like coffee flavor, then just omit this ingredient.
Toasted almonds are really delicious in this recipe. Toasted macadamia nuts are also fabulous in this recipe. However, use what you enjoy and have fun with the recipe.
If you find that you did not drain the water well enough or your paste is too thin, just add a few more ground almonds until you get to that thick, easy to roll consistency. On the other hand, if your paste is just too thick to get going in the food processor, add a teaspoon at a time of water until you can get the paste to blend. Scrape down the sides of the food processor frequently and try again.
Can you exchange cocao powder for unsweetened cocoa powder? You bet. However, please start out with ½ tablespoon and increase as desired. We find cocoa powder is a little more bitter than the processed cocoa powder.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 143g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 37g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 25g | Sugar: 105g