LOVE BITES A love affair with chocolate!
Recipes/Pictures property of Teri Gentes – permission required to republish
You may love chocolate simply because it tastes amazing or because it’s so abundant in healthful properties or because high quality chocolate isn’t as caloric as its sugar-laden wanna-be versions are. Oh yes, great news right!
Maybe you crave it for the magnesium and maybe, just maybe it’s because it’s a known aphrodisiac. Whatever the reason I join you in this love affair and am very discerning about what kind of chocolate.
It must be dark, organic, quality chocolate or raw cacao beans or nibs.
Bitter sweet tastes are best for my palate yet these Love Bites come in a touch sweeter due to the dates. Marrying a date with chocolate is my not-so-subtle attempt to imprint that pairing for the research does have something to say about its affects upon our hormones.
Taking someone out on a date? Buy them some really great chocolate or better still make these for them. They are easy to make and you’re sure to impress. Let me know how you make out. (Ha, Ha, Ha). OK I’m just a bit corny.
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup raw regular or chocolate hazelnut butter or your fave nut or seed butter
2 tbsp almond meal
12-16 Medjool dates, sliced open on 1 side and pitted
12-32 hazelnuts, toasted and skinned ideally, pecans are delish too
CHOCOLATE COATING:
125 grams or 3/4 cup dairy-free organic dark chocolate, 76% or higher, finely chopped
3 tbsp organic coconut cream (canned) or 2 tbsp coconut oil
Fleur de sel salt, finely ground organic coffee beans, cayenne pepper, if desired
DIRECTIONS:
You’ve heard life is like a box of chocolates; sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, sometimes spicy and often a combo of this all. Now that’s love.
TERI’S TIPS:
Recipes/Pictures property of Teri Gentes – permission required to republish
You may love chocolate simply because it tastes amazing or because it’s so abundant in healthful properties or because high quality chocolate isn’t as caloric as its sugar-laden wanna-be versions are. Oh yes, great news right!
Maybe you crave it for the magnesium and maybe, just maybe it’s because it’s a known aphrodisiac. Whatever the reason I join you in this love affair and am very discerning about what kind of chocolate.
It must be dark, organic, quality chocolate or raw cacao beans or nibs.
Bitter sweet tastes are best for my palate yet these Love Bites come in a touch sweeter due to the dates. Marrying a date with chocolate is my not-so-subtle attempt to imprint that pairing for the research does have something to say about its affects upon our hormones.
Taking someone out on a date? Buy them some really great chocolate or better still make these for them. They are easy to make and you’re sure to impress. Let me know how you make out. (Ha, Ha, Ha). OK I’m just a bit corny.
- Sweets, desserts
- Prep time: 10 mins plus chilling
- Vegan, gluten/dairy free, Paleo-friendly
- Yield: 12 -16
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup raw regular or chocolate hazelnut butter or your fave nut or seed butter
2 tbsp almond meal
12-16 Medjool dates, sliced open on 1 side and pitted
12-32 hazelnuts, toasted and skinned ideally, pecans are delish too
CHOCOLATE COATING:
125 grams or 3/4 cup dairy-free organic dark chocolate, 76% or higher, finely chopped
3 tbsp organic coconut cream (canned) or 2 tbsp coconut oil
Fleur de sel salt, finely ground organic coffee beans, cayenne pepper, if desired
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine the nut butter and almond and fill each date with a tsp of this creamy mixture.
- Now stuff 1 or 2 hazelnuts into each date and press together to stick.
- Set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or cutting board and prepare the chocolate coating.
- Heat a double boiler of water to a low simmer. Add the chocolate and coconut oil to another pot and place over the water ensuring the pot doesn’t touch the water. Gently stir until its melted then remove from heat and either pour evenly over top of each of the dates and place on parchment paper
- While the chocolate is warm, sprinkle each date with fleur de sel, espresso powder or cayenne. A lil’ of each is my favorite way to make them.
You’ve heard life is like a box of chocolates; sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, sometimes spicy and often a combo of this all. Now that’s love.
TERI’S TIPS:
- Add a few tbsp cognac or spiced rum to the chocolate mixture
- Stir in 3 tbsp raw cacao powder for added chocolate taste
- If using pecans instead of hazelnuts one per date is perfect.
- If ordering the featured items online from www.rawelements.ca use my name – Teri – for a discount. This way you can buy more chocolate.