This post is sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs.

It was originally my intention to get these beautiful date cashew butter truffles out to you guys around Valentines Day. But you know, one thing I've learned about myself is that I resist the whole obligitory themed holiday food posting thing. I mean, yes I could have got some more hits on truffles around V day. But I don't just eat truffles when society is going nutzo about gifting chocolate. I eat them, well, all the time! Every day! Chocolate is a true love, a first love, a lover that loves me back (with theobromine and anandamide, in fact!). This is all to say, that yes these truffles are worthy of a sensual celebration. But can't that sensual celebration be something that happens every day? I vote yes!

Besides... is there anything better than healthy chocolate?

This recipe is made up of cashew butter, medjool dates, coconut oil, cocoa powder, oat flour, coconut flour and Mountain Rose Herbs Adapt Chocolate Elixir. If you're feeling like treating yourself to a new adaptogenic herbal supplement I highly recommend it! It's honey, cacao, chaga, reishi and eleuthero root. To me reishi and chaga have warm, chocolatey-sweet, rootsy flavor profiles so the flavors of this blend are nicely cohesive. As I was coming up with this truffle recipe it seemed like a natural addition. I add that elixir into hot coffee and hot chocolate on the daily, too.

I chose to use roasted cocoa powder (vs. raw) in these truffles as it has a palatable, soft, malty flavor that I like paired with cashew butter and dates. Also I love that Mountain Rose Herbs roasted cacao is minimally processed, which means the cocoa solids are extracted directly from the whole, lightly-roasted cocoa bean and then milled into a powder. Roasting cacao brings out the flavor in the bean, which results in a tastier final product. It's much like coffee in that way.

When you're looking for a good quality cacao it's important to find a product that's 100% natural. A huge amount of chocolate and cacao powder is alkalized through a method called "dutch processing." This method was developed in the 1800's as a way to reduce bitterness and create a uniform flavor using alkalizing salts, erasing cacao's varied natural flavor profile. Cacao is one of the most flavor-rich foods on the planet, and the flavors often vary widely from lot to lot. Like coffee, cacao has a terroir and the growing / processing conditions of the raw bean all affect the chocolate's final flavor. Back in the day cacao farmers and chocolate-makers knew next to nothing about how to properly grow, harvest, ferment, dry or process cacao. Mayan civilizations left the wisdom of growing and consuming cacao mostly to the imagination. And by the time the Spanish finally became interested in chocolate, the Central American civilizations they had brutally conquered had little knowledge to share on the subject.

Today we know that the fermentation and drying process is the lynch-pin of creating good flavor in cacao beans. But in the 1800's you can bet your buns only a handful of people knew that fermentation and proper drying were important. Because of the hugely varying quality of cacao coming through the chocolate-making facilities in Europe, a method like Dutch Processing must have been totally revolutionary. Chocolate makers could take great quality cacao and terrible quality cacao and lump it all together, alkalize it and get one basic chocolate flavor that paired well with milk. Voila!

Little did they know that while they were solving one problem they were creating another. While Dutch Processing created a uniform cocoa powder that revolutionized the confectionery and pastry industries world-wide, the alkalizing process was in fact stripping cacao of its healthful antioxidant benefits. Alkalized cacao can lose up to 90% of its antioxidant content!

Is it just me or is that FREAKING MIND BLOWING.

That means much of the chocolate consumed on this planet is lacking magic. And by magic, I mean some serious neuroprotective, anti-aging super-powers that are inherent in natural cacao.

Ok, now you know: go natural or go home!

Oh and here's a bit more info on this recipe: these date cashew butter truffles are a cross between a luxe treat and a healthy bite. They're one of those desserts that acts like a snack. Or... a snack that acts like a dessert. However you twist it, they're pretty dang good!

The recipe makes around 30 marble sized truffles that I like to roll in crunchy cacao nibs, hemp hearts, dragonfruit powder or cocoa powder. You'll need 12 dates and a scoop of fruit-juice-sweetened strawberry jam as your sweetener. That's a little less than 1/2 a date per truffle, which ultimately makes for a mildly sweet treat. The jam might seem like an odd addition, but the brightness of the fruit contrasts nicely with the richness of the chocolate, dates and cashew butter.

This post is sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs. Check out their monthly clearance, specials and featured products for amazing deals on home apothecary and pantry staples! Thank you for supporting the companies that support this site.