I love orange-flavoured chocolate! Especially when it’s flavoured with real, fresh orange. If you are like me, you are going to love these vegan and gluten-free orange & cinnamon chocolate truffles with a creamy, flavourful filling that just melts in your mouth. This recipe doesn’t require any baking or refined sugar, just a few natural ingredients. Oh, and there is a hidden vegetable inside these truffles. Can you guess what it is?
The creamy orange filling took a few trials to get right, but eventually I got the perfect mixture. It’s packed with divine winter flavours. The orange and cinnamon are combined with rich almond butter and creamed coconut. Your house will smell amazing while you are making these orange & cinnamon chocolate truffles! Perhaps on Christmas Eve?
While the orange itself is quite orange, I felt like the colour of the filling can be enhanced even further. I was able to achieve this with the help of a super orange vegetable that isn’t normally added to desserts: carrot (well, except for carrot cake). Yep! Just a bit of carrot will enhance the colour of the creamy filling and add a hidden dose of nutrients. This can be your secret ingredient, no one will have to know!
Do you remember how I managed to save money when shopping for the ingredients for my Vegan Green Warrior Burger? With the help of the nifty Green Jinn app that keeps on getting better and better. It now includes Tesco coupons as well as Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. I have partnered with Green Jinn again so if you are making this recipe before the 31st of December 2017, you will be able to save up to £4.35 on all of the ingredients needed for these delicious orange and cinnamon chocolate truffles!
Download the app for iOS or Android and get cashback using the app’s coupons for the following ingredients: oranges, carrots, cinnamon, creamed coconut, vanilla pods, almond butter, dark chocolate and maple syrup! These are actually all of the ingredients you need, so you can save money on all 8 items. I did my shopping at Sainsbury’s and spent £24.30 overall, but I got £4.35 back via the app. You can find coupons for the same items for Waitrose and Tesco as well. Green Jinn has become a favourite app of mine as it always offers discounts on fresh, healthy ingredients and it actually inspires recipes like this one sometimes. Claiming your money back is easy, you just snap your receipt and you get your money back in your bank account or PayPal.
These orange & cinnamon chocolate truffles will be the finale of my vegan Christmas Eve dinner this year, but they are ideal to make anytime you want to indulge with a flavourful fruity-chocolate treat. You might also like my Raspberry chocolate truffles, which are another impressive, but simple vegan dessert. Here is the recipe, let me know if you tried it in the comments below! :)
Ingredients
- 1 fresh orange
- 1/2 small-medium carrot
- 1 creamed coconut block (200 g)
- 2 tbsp pure almond butter
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- beans from 1/2 vanilla pod
- 200 g (2 bars) dark vegan chocolate (check if vegan & GF)
- optional for decoration: extra orange zest or chopped almonds
Instructions
- In a blender blend the 1/2 carrot (peeled), the peeled orange and half of its zest. Use a potato peeler to get thin shavings of the zest. Don't add the thick white skin of the orange. You should get an orange/carrot smoothie in a few minutes.
- In a food processor add the creamed coconut block and blend until it's shredded.
- Add the blended orange/carrot juice, together with the rest of the ingredients, except for the chocolate. Blend for a few minutes until you get a smooth, creamy mixture.
- Cover with foil and place in the freezer for 15-30 mins.
- After that the mixture should be firmer. Shape about 10-11 balls of the orange filling and place on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Gently melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth.
- Cover each orange ball with melted chocolate, but avoid placing the balls in the melted chocolate as it will thicken and it will be difficult to use. You might find it useful to use a fork and a spoon as shown in the video above.
- Put the chocolate-covered truffles back on the parchment paper and top with some orange zest or chopped almonds while the chocolate is still warm to allow the decorations to stick.
- Leave the truffles in the fridge for at least 30-40 minutes before serving to allow the chocolate to harden. Cut out gently any excess chocolate around the truffle if needed.
Notes
Store the truffles in the fridge as the chocolate might start melting at room temperature if left out for too long. You can store them for up to 10 days as there is no dairy or eggs in the recipe.
This post was kindly sponsored by Green Jinn. All opinions are my own.