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Chocolate Gingerbread Pecan Date Truffles

Gingerbread Pecan Date Truffles

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Festive gingerbread pecan date truffles with a creamy chocolate coating! How to make healthy truffles with pecans, dates, & your choice of chocolate.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate gingerbread truffles, gingerbread truffles, healthy date truffles, healthy truffles, homemade chocolate truffles, pecan date truffles
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 20 truffles
Calories 117

Ingredients

Gingerbread Truffles Filling

  • 1 cup pecans toasted
  • 1 cup (5oz) Sunsweet® Pitted Dates
  • Tbsp molasses
  • tsp ground ginger (add ¼ tsp for stronger ginger flavor)
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of allspice

Tempered Chocolate Coating:

  • 300 g high-quality chocolate of choice* (milk, dark, or white)
  • -or-

Simple Coating Option:

  • 1 cup chocolate chips of choice
  • 1 tsp coconut oil melted

Topping Ideas

  • holiday sprinkles
  • chocolate sprinkles
  • chopped nuts
  • cocoa powder
  • coconut shreds

Instructions

Form Truffles

  • Optional: Toast pecans at 350°F (180°C) for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and browned.
  • Add all gingerbread truffles ingredients into a food processor and pulse to combine, then let the machine run until the mixture forms a dough. It should hold together easily when pressed.
  • Use a cookie scoop to portion the mixture (I used a 2-tsp scoop), then roll into balls with your hands.
  • Transfer to a plate or tray and freeze for 10-15 minutes, until firm.

Melt Chocolate

    Tempered Chocolate Coating:

    • Coarsely chop chocolate of choice. (I used 300g milk chocolate and 300g white chocolate, but you can use any chocolate(s) you prefer. Just be sure to temper at least 300g of chocolate* at a time for best results.)
    • Add ⅔ of chopped chocolate to a heat-safe bowl. Melt over a double boiler of gently simmering water, stirring regularly. Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water because the chocolate will get too hot.
    • Heat milk chocolate until temperature reaches 113°F(45°C) on a cooking thermometer. (For white chocolate, melt to 104°F or 40°C.) Remove bowl from the heat and stir in remaining ⅓ of chopped chocolate.
    • Allow to cool, monitoring temperature regularly with a cooking thermometer. As soon as temperature cools to 79°F (26°C) for milk chocolate (77°F or 25°C for white chocolate), return bowl to double boiler and reheat.
    • Stir gently until temperature reaches 84°F (29°C) for milk chocolate (82°F or 28°C for white chocolate). When chocolate is smooth and shiny, it’s ready to be used.
    • To test tempered chocolate, fold a paper towel in half and dip the folded area into the chocolate. Allow to set in a cool place for up to 5 minutes. If properly tempered, the chocolate should set evenly and feel dry to the touch.
    • (For dark chocolate: melt to 113°F or 45°C, cool to 81°F or 27°C, and reheat to 90°F or 32°C.)

    Simple Coating Option:

    • If you don’t want to temper chocolate, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with 1 tsp of coconut oil in the microwave or on a double boiler over the stove.

    Coat Truffles & Add Toppings

    • When melted chocolate is ready, drizzle chocolate onto truffles or dip truffles into chocolate, until coated on all sides. Allow any excess chocolate to drip off, then transfer to a plate.
    • While chocolate is wet, add desired holiday toppings—like sprinkles, chopped nuts, cocoa powder, coconut shreds, or whatever you like.
    • Allow tempered truffles to set at room temperature, or refrigerate untempered truffles to set.
    • Serve and enjoy!
    • Store tempered truffles in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, or in the fridge for to a week. Store untempered truffles in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.

    Video

    Notes

    *Note on Tempering: High quality chocolate works better for tempering than regular chocolate chips. 300g is the minimum amount of chocolate recommended for tempering, because less than this won’t melt down properly. You’ll have some leftover tempered chocolate, so feel free to use it in another way, or make more truffles!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1truffle | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g