These chocolate walnut truffles have a fudgy dark chocolate and walnut filling that's coated in a hard chocolate shell. This recipe is no-bake, paleo and vegan friendly.
Everyone loved the truffles I made for a recipe campaign last month, so I decided to put a slight spin on that recipe and create these chocolate walnut truffles.
These truffles have a chewy chocolate center with bits of walnuts and are encased in a dark chocolate shell. I love that they aren't overly sweet, but still satisfy my chocolate cravings!
In addition, these walnut truffles are paleo and vegan friendly - no gluten, grains, eggs or dairy. They're also quite versatile, so you can make small tweaks to ingredients and still get delicious results.
Why You'll Love these Chocolate Walnut Truffles
- easy to make - simply combine the filling ingredients, roll into balls, chill and then dip in melted chocolate
- paleo and vegan - made with simple, wholesome ingredients you can feel good about
- healthy - a delicious dessert without loads of sugar or any questionable ingredients.
- rich and decadent - these walnut truffles have a rich chocolate flavor and they're lower in sugar, but satisfying
Ingredients
The full recipe for these chocolate walnut balls can be found in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need:
- almond butter - I recommend a drippy almond butter made from dry roasted almonds (nothing else)
- maple syrup - to sweeten the filling. For a lower carb option, you can swap the maple syrup for a sugar-free sweetener.
- vanilla extract - for flavor
- cocoa powder - for a rich chocolate filling
- salt - to enhance the flavors
- walnuts - chopped and dispersed throughout the filling
- dark chocolate - for coating the truffles. I used 85% dark chocolate, but recommend anything from 60-90%.
How to Make Dark Chocolate Walnut Truffles
These healthy walnut truffles come together quickly and store well in the fridge or freezer. Here's how to make them:
- First, Line a small baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the wet filling ingredients. Then mix in the dry. And lastly, fold the chopped walnuts into the dough.
- Roll the filling into balls, each about 1 tablespoon in size. Set them on your lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Melt the dark chocolate. Then grab the balls from the freezer and dip them, one at a time, into the melted chocolate.
- Drizzle any remaining dark chocolate over the balls and top with crushed walnuts. (I like putting the extra chocolate in a small plastic bag and piping it over the truffles.)
Tips and Tricks
- Use a drippy nut butter. While any nut butter can be used, I recommend one that has a drippy texture so that the filling doesn't turn out too dry.
- Chill the fillings before dipping them in dark chocolate. This will make the process of dipping the fillings into the melted chocolate so much easier!
- Thin the chocolate with coconut oil. If your chocolate is too thick after melting, add a little coconut oil to thin it out.
- Mix up the flavors. Feel free to swap the walnuts for pecans or hazelnuts or use another nut butter in place of the almond butter.
Storage
Keep these truffles in an airtight container or baggie. They can be left out at room temperature for serving, but are best stored in the fridge or freezer. You can store them in the fridge up to two weeks, or the freezer up to three months.
More Truffle Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Chocolate Walnut Truffles (Paleo, Vegan)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 truffles 1x
Description
Rich chocolate and walnut truffles with a fudgy filling and hard chocolate shell.
Ingredients
Filling
- ½ cup almond butter
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (24g)
- pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
Coating
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a small baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the filling: combine the almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.
- Mix in the cocoa powder and salt until well combined.
- Fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Roll the filling into balls, each about 1 tablespoon in size. The filling should have a playdough-like texture and roll into balls without falling apart*
- Set them on your lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Place the dark chocolate in a small, microwaveable dish. Melt on high at 20-30 second intervals, stirring between**
- Once the chocolate is melted, grab the fillings from the freezer. Dip them, one at a time, into the melted chocolate. Place them back on the lined baking sheet to set.
- Drizzle any remaining dark chocolate over the balls and top them with crushed walnuts. (I like putting the extra chocolate in a small plastic bag and piping it over the truffles. If your chocolate has hardened, then warm it for 10 seconds in the microwave.)
- Store truffles in an airtight container or baggie in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
*If your truffle filling is too dry, either add more almond butter or maple syrup. The filling should have a playdough-like texture and easily roll into a ball. On the other hand, if the filling is too dry, add more cocoa powder.
**If your chocolate is too thick after melting, then add a ½ teaspoon of coconut oil to thin it out.
Katie
Hope you all love these truffles!
Leena
can i replace with peanut butter?
Katie
yes