These cocoa lemon energy bites pair pure cocoa powder with fresh lemon zest and a handful of other “good-for-you” ingredients you give you the most luscious, no-bake, healthy treat!

I think you would agree, that chocolate and friendship go hand-in-hand, and that’s the reason I created these “pop-in-your-mouth”  super healthy and delicious No Bake Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites and Truffles for you today.

You see, this month’s Recipe ReDux theme is Favorite Chocolate Matches…

Does your chocolate need a friend? This month’s posting will be after Valentine’s Day, so you may have a bit of extra chocolate around {Hello! I always have chocolate around!} What’s your favorite chocolate match? Be it traditional peanut butter or something more exotic like cayenne + chocolate. Show us your favorite healthy chocolate recipe.

My first thought was chocolate + orange. A match made in heaven, IMO. But then I thought about it a little more, and I remembered the most divine chocolate bar with lemon {yes, lemon!} I had in Lisbon, Portugal from a little gem of a shop called Chocolataria Equador.

Oh, my goodness.It was SO delicious, but to tell you the truth, I spent a good 10 minutes in that chocolate shop while my friend waited ever so patiently, as I waxed and waned over whether or not to get the chocolate bar with lemon, or the chocolate bar with orange. You’d have thought each bar was coated in gold. I mean, in retrospect, I should have bought both, But this is me. Someone who must weigh ALL the pros and cons before I can make a decision. What it I hated the taste of chocolate and lemon together? Would Armageddon happen???

Luckily I didn’t find out, because I was hooked from my first bite of that lemony chocolate bar…

And, later, I walked back to the shop and bought some more. Yep.

So here I am now, thousands of miles away from Lisbon, obsessing about chocolate and lemon.

And, add to that, my lemon tree is bursting with fruit, making it the perfect time for a little experimenting, don’t you think?

Hence, these most amazing cocoa lemon energy bites were conceived.

If you’re wondering what’s up with two different names, I thought I would create two different versions depending upon your tastes and dietary preferences, cause that’s the super nice kind of person that I am. 🙂

Both recipes are gluten-free and vegan, and the ingredients are quite similar, except the Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites have less pecans plus oats making them suitable for a low FODMAP diet, while the Cocoa Lemon Truffles have more pecans plus hemp seeds in place of the oats, making them suitable for a paleo or grain-free diet.

Personally, I love them both!

No Bake Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites & Cocoa Lemon Truffles

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 8 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Chocolate and lemon are a delicious pairing in these luscious {and super healthy} No Bake Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites and Cocoa Lemon Truffles.

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Ingredients

For Energy Bites AND Truffles

• 1 cup pecans
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

For Energy Bites

• 1/2 cup gluten-free oats

For Truffles

• 1/3 cup pecans additional
• 3 tablespoons Hempseeds

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients {depending upon which version you are making} in a food processor, and process until mixture is sticky and well combined.
• Shape mixture in to 10 ~ 1-inch balls, and place on a tray or plate lined with parchment paper. You can eat them immediately, or place them in the freezer for at least 10 minutes {you can store them in the freezer as well} before eating.

Notes

1. Both versions are gluten-free and vegan.
2. The Energy Bites are suitable for a low FODMAP diet.
3. The Truffles are grain-free, and suitable for a Paleo diet. 
4. The nutrition label is for the Energy Bites. For the Truffles, the nutrition information is as follows: Calories 140, Total Fat 12 g, Total Carbohydrates 8 g {3 g fiber, 4 g sugar}, Protein 3 g.

COURSE :Dessert, Snack

CUISINE :American, Gluten Free, Low FODMAP & Paleo Options, MIND Diet, Vegan

Nutrition

Serving: 1energy bite or truffle | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 23mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g

Did you like this recipe?Be sure & let me know! Leave a comment, share it, or give it a 5-star review! Did you make it? Tag me @thespicyrd or #thespicyrd I love seeing your delicious recipe re-creations!

I hope you love these Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites and Truffles as much as I do, and be sure and check out all these other delicious chocolate creations my ReDux friends have created!

P.S. Looking through my photos of Portugal has inspired me to start working on my WAY long overdue travel posts from my trip to Spain and Portugal last fall, so stay tuned, and in the meantime, enjoy this gorgeous shot of the colorful buildings and  red tile roofs in Lisbon!

Click here to see all the other delicious chocolate creations.–> An InLinkz Link-up

Have you tried chocolate paired with lemon before? What’s your favorite chocolate pairing? Ever been to Portugal before? Are you a snap decision maker, or would you have spent 10 minutes obsessing over which chocolate bar to buy like I did???