These Easy Chocolate Spiced Pumpkin Truffles with Almonds and Dark Chocolate are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and perfect for a healthy fall treat! Gluten-free, dairy-free, & low carb, they are easy to adapt for vegan and low FODMAP diets too!
The inspiration for these no-bake, Easy Chocolate Spiced Pumpkin Truffles with Almonds and Dark Chocolate???
- It’s fall! Which means you’re craving pumpkin recipes galore, right?!!
- It’s been friggin’ hot here in San Diego! Thankfully there is a cooling trend coming on, but the mercury was rising above 100 degrees here the other day, which means this One Bowl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is going to have to wait a little longer. Give me all the FROZEN treats, like these easy Chocolate Spiced Pumpkin Truffles, instead!
- I recently had a fabulous experience touring an almond orchard, courtesy of a trip sponsored by California Almonds, so I thought it would be fun to whip up something delicious with my almonds + share a quick recap of my trip with you. Win, win!
Disclosure: California Almonds paid all my expenses to attend the Almond Harvest 2016 tour, however I was not compensated to write this post. I just happen to think almonds are pretty fabulous, and wanted to share a little bit about how they’re grown, almond nutrition facts, and all the delicious ways you can eat almonds!
Make a batch of these Easy Chocolate Spiced Pumpkin Truffles with Almonds to keep in your freezer and enjoy for a healthy treat!
I’ll share the recipe with you in a minute, but first, here’s a recap of what I did and what I learned at the Almond Harvest Tour…
5 Fun Facts About California Almonds
- Growing almonds is California is a very sustainable practice. There is minimal waste because all parts of the almond are used. We eat the kernel. The hull is used in livestock feed. And, almond shells are used for animal bedding. Pretty cool, huh?!
- Almonds aren’t as thirsty as you might think! Living in California, saving water is ALWAYS on my mind, so I was happy to learn that almonds don’t use as much water as I originally thought they did. In fact almonds use roughly the same amount of water as other fruit and tree nuts. I also learned that while almonds are grown on ~13% of California’s irrigated farmland, they use less than 9% of the state’s agricultural water.
- Almond pollen is a very nutritious source of food for honey bees. And, in fact, bee hives often leave the almond orchards, after cross pollinating them in the spring, stronger and more plentiful than when they arrived. Another win, win!
- Almonds make a healthy and delicious portable snack! 1 serving is 1 oz which = 23 almonds = 1/4 cup. One thing I love about almonds is that they contain a nourishing mix of macronutrients {protein, carbohydrates, and fat} to provide long lasting energy, and help keep you satisfied, especially while on the go. 1 serving of almonds provides 6 grams of protein {the same as 1 egg!}, 6 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber {I’m SO interested in this research being done on almonds, prebiotics, and digestive health!}, along with 13 grams of heart healthy monounsaturated fats.
- Almonds are SUPER versatile for eating, snacking, baking, and cooking! My dietitian and food blogger pals and I had a great time creating almond-licious snacks at the Almond Smart Snack-Off Team Competition. As someone who fluctuates between craving sweet or savory snacks, crunchy or smooth, carb-y or protein rich, almonds perfectly fit the bill!
No matter what YOUR snacking profile is, you’ll find loads of easy almond snack ideas, along with loads of delicious almond recipes~Dark Chocolate Almond and Coconut Smoothie Bowl…Pan Seared Salmon w/ Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Almonds….Almond Toffee Martini-say what?!!!….and so many more~at the Almond Recipe Center at California Almonds, so be sure and take a look!
A very warm and generous thanks to everyone at the Almond Board of California, the staff at Porter Novelli, and Travaille & Phippen almond growers and shellers. In addition, if you are ever in the Lodi area South of Sacramento, I highly recommend the Wine and Roses Hotel, where we stayed, and the Lange Twins Winery, where we dined and imbibed!
And now, how about we eat some pumpkin truffles?!
Easy Chocolate Spiced Pumpkin Truffles with Almonds
These Easy Chocolate Spiced Pumpkin Truffles with Almonds and Dark Chocolate are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and perfect for a healthy fall treat! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo, they are easy to adapt for vegan and low FODMAP diets too!
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole almonds, divided
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 2 dates*, pitted
- 2 teaspoons honey OR maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips*
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place almonds in a food processor bowl, and process until very finely chopped. Remove 1/4 cup of the almonds to a small bowl, and set aside.
- Add all other ingredients, except chocolate, to the remaining 3/4 cup of almonds in the food processor bowl, and process until mixture is smooth, and can easily be formed into a ball. You will need to turn off the food processor and scape down the sides of the bowl periodically to ensure all the ingredients are well mixed together. Mixture will be sticky.
- Form mixture into 12 ~1 inch diameter balls, and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Melt chocolate chips in microwave on high power {cook for 1 minute, stir, then cook again for 1 more minute} or in a stovetop double-boiler. Allow chocolate mixture to cool slightly for ~5 minutes. Roll truffle balls in melted chocolate, then dip in the remaining chopped almonds if desired. Place back on parchment paper, and put truffles in the freezer for ~30 minutes to allow chocolate to harden. Enjoy after 30 minutes, then store remaining truffles in the freezer in a well sealed freezer safe container until ready to eat.
Notes
Vegan Option: Use dairy free dark chocolate chips and maple syrup instead of honey.
Low FODMAP Option: Omit dates, and add additional maple syrup to sweeten to taste.
Nutrition
Serving: 1truffle | Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 390IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Add to Recipe Collection
Like this recipe?Sign up for my newsletter & get new recipes and nutrition tips delivered straight to your inbox. SIGN UP!
These Easy Spiced Pumpkin Truffles w/ Almonds and Dark Chocolate got 10 thumbs up from my recipe tasters. After I shared them, I’ve been indulging in 1 {maybe 2~shhh…} every day since I made them-they really are the perfect easy, make-ahead healthy treat!
