Healthy Pumpkin Spice Nut Truffles

Okay, so sometimes I sit down to write my little intro to a recipe, and I get a little bit of writers' block. I'm sure that's no surprise, because really, who doesn't get writers' block when they have to write something? But I'm just putting it out there that I do.

Often, my writers' block is followed by a series of not-so-interesting ideas about what I could say about my recipe -- many of which include cheesy stories about my children, too-much-information memories from my childhood, or stupidly academic facts about the food I'm about to share. Today was one of the latter, and I have to admit I had written at least two (complete … but not diagrammed … I'm not that nerdy!) sentences of dry textbook talk about hot amazingly nutritious walnuts are before I had to give myself a little reality check pep-talk that went something like, "Wow! I sound really enthusiastic about nutrition facts there. That's really nerdy of me … (backspace, backspace, backspace)" This, of course, brought me back to a blank screen and my original writers' block, which has now led me to the probably equally nerdy narrative that I have just given you about how my brain works when writing.

Anywho, back to the recipe … Here's the deal in a nutshell (pun intended, of course!): walnuts are good for you, pumpkin spice is yummy, and these truffles are amazingly delicious ... Try them! (Oh, and don't hesitate to hide them in the freezer so that you get them all to yourself!)

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Nut Truffles
15 SERVINGS 
PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 15 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 cup walnuts
• 8 dates, diced (and soaked if very dry)
• 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin spice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon water
• 1/4 cup white chocolate, melted

DIRECTIONS

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1. Place walnuts in a food processor, and pulse until nearly smooth.
2. Add in dates and pumpkin pie spice. Continue pulsing food processor until the dates are combined with the nuts, making a mostly smooth mash. (You may need to add in water, a small amount at a time, to help keep things mixing.)
3. Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter, and place on a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. (If the mixture is too warm and/or mushy, you can chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to help make it easier to manage.) Place the balls in the freezer for 2-3 hours. 
4. Once the nut balls have hardened in the freezer, you can then roll them in a light coating of melted chocolate. Replace them in the fridge or freezer to allow the chocolate to set.
5. Once the chocolate is set, these can be stored (i.e. hidden) in a plastic bag in the freezer to enjoy as a small snack, or served to (very grateful) friends.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 truffle   79 calories   5.8 g fat   5.8 g carbs    2.6 g protein    4.6 g sugar   

Enjoy! (And don't forget to enter this week's giveaway … just one day left!)

Date-Sweetened Apple Pecan Cookies

One of the pleasant surprises I encountered when we first moved to the California Bay Area was that, although we enjoy gorgeous weather year-round, there are also still distinct changes in the seasons. They are different than the usual four season changes that I was used to (we seem to skip winter altogether and just go from fall to spring), but they are definitely there. Fall is particularly beautiful, with the days starting to cool off just enough, the trees turning beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the pine cones and acorns which start to fall from the trees and line the sidewalks. I tell you this, of course, because all of these signs of fall make me start to think of fall recipes and all the things that can be created with cinnamon, nuts, apples, apricots, pumpkins, zucchini, etc., etc., etc.

These cookies were born from recent musings on fall baking as I was out enjoying the cool fall air on a walk with my daughter. I wanted to find a way to use dates as the primary sweetener in a cookie. Building on a recipe I found at Anja's Food 4 Thought, my first attempt, I have to admit, came out not quite sweet enough for my taste. I decided to add in just a bit of honey to boost the sweetness, along with a very light coating of cinnamon and powdered sugar so that it still felt like a cookie rather than a very small biscuit. These apple-pecan cookies were the result. They are a mildly sweet, cinnamony cookie, with hints of the apple and pecan coming through. The texture is somewhere between a shortbread and biscuit if you eat them the same day, but if you have the will power to let them sit until the next day (something I, my husband, and my preschooler struggle with!) they become more of a shortbread, allowing the crunchy pecan texture to come through even more.

Date-Sweetend Apple Pecan Cookies
Makes 15-20 cookies
PREP: 20 minutes    CHILL: at least 60 minutes       COOK: 12-15 minutes            READY IN: 1 hour 40 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1/2 cup dates (10-12 dates), roughly chopped and soaked in water for about 20 minutes
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup chopped pecan pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup diced dried apple pieces (or dried apricots)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

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1. Drain most of the water off of the dates (they should be somewhat soft). In a food processor, pulse the soaked dates with the butter to a smooth consistency.
2. Add the pecan pieces, and pulse about 30 seconds to break down the pecans into fine pieces.
3. In a bowl, combine the dates, butter, and pecans with the vanilla, honey, cinnamon, egg, and flour. The dough may be sticky, but should hold together and not be at all runny. Mix in the dried fruit pieces.
4. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350º.
5. With the chilled dough, form balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (they won't grow so they can be placed fairly close together).
6. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies no longer look shiny on top. Remove and let cool just a couple of minutes. Combine powdered sugar and cinnamon, and roll warm cookies in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until lightly covered.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 cookie    84 calories   4 g fat   11.3 g carbs    1.5 g protein    5.3 g sugar   

If you're willing to splurge a little more with the butter, these could even be transformed to be more like a riff on Mexican wedding cookies. Because I was trying to keep these still within the mostly-healthy realm, I decided to save that experimentation for another day.
Happy Autumn!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Homemade Larabars

My go-to energy boost before and/or after a workout is a Larabar. Have you ever tasted of their awesomeness? They are soooooo yummy! My favorite flavor is (you probably already guessed...) Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. My fitness instructor always says to eat 30-45 minutes after a good workout, so I keep a handful of these in my car for a quick snack. I have wanted to try making them myself to see if I can reproduce the real thing, and the good news is they only have four ingredients . You'll notice that one of the ingredients is dates but don't you dare let that deter you. Trust me, when you mix dates with peanuts and chocolate it's like a magical explosion in your mouth. My oldest son loves these and requests them all the time for school lunches.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars
14 SERVINGS 
PREP: 8 minutes           FREEZE: 30 minutes            READY IN: 38 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
• 16 ounces pitted dates
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• pinch sea salt
 

DIRECTIONS

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1. In a food processor, pulse the peanuts until they are in fine pieces (the size of little Nerds candies, or a little smaller)
2. Add the dates and pulse until they are in smaller pieces (about half the size they were originally).
3. Add in the chocolate chips and sea salt and pulse until everything is mixed nicely together.
4. Pour the mixture into a 9x9 pan, firmly press the bar mixture down with your hand.
5. Place into the freezer for 30 minutes to make cutting easier.
6. After 30 minutes cut bars into 14 even pieces and wrap individually for later use. Place them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 serving (1 bar)    129 calories   3.1g fat   26g carbs    2.2g protein    21.5g sugar   

These are much cheaper to make yourself. I can buy them at the store on sale for $1 per bar or I can make them for under $.50 per bar. In full disclosure, I keep both on hand (yes, we eat that many of them!) I like the wrapping that Larabar uses. For some reason it prevents the chocolate from melting so they are better kept in the car, or in a backpack for hiking. I use the homemade larabars for my son's lunch and when I'm going directly home after a workout, or need a mid-day pick me up. They are also wonderful for filling that sweet tooth craving!

Enjoy!
Recipe Adapted from Lauren's Latest.