(makes about 10)

Ingredients:

1 cup of good-quality dates

grated zest of 1 orange

a squeeze of  pure orange juice

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

3 tablespoons of good-quality cacao powder (plus more for rolling the balls in)

Pinch of salt

Method:

1.     Remove the stones from the dates and place the dates in a bowl.

2.     Pour some room temperature water over the dates and leave for about 15 minutes to make them softer. Once soft, drain the water off and mash the dates with a fork. (Alternatively you can blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until totally smooth.)

3.     Add the other ingredients but don’t add too much orange juice otherwise the mixture will be too wet and you won’t be to roll it into balls.

4.     Next scoop a teaspoon size portion of the mixture into your hands and roll it into a ball, then roll the ball in some cacao powder.

5.     Repeat until you have used up all the mixture, and then place the balls in the fridge or the freezer for a few hours to firm up.

6.     These can be stored in the freezer for one month and taste best when they are eaten cold.

NB. These truffles can be made with coffee or coconut instead of orange. They can be rolled in desiccated coconut instead of cacao powder, or nuts or seeds. They are extremely versatile and you can adjust them to suit your taste.