Sweet Indulgence- Part IV

As I was routinely reading the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, I was intrigued by the holiday recipes presented. I, like many people, enjoy looking at a photo of a dish or dessert before attempting the cooking process; however, there were no pictures. The description of a truffle cookie simply alone lured me in.

I was discouraged while making the cookie as it was crumbling and not coming together as I had hoped or expected. The recipe I used called for peanut butter and it seems I have not yet quite mastered the art of cooking or baking with peanut butter. As I chugged along, these cookies also didn't seem to grab my visual interest. I thought '...geez, what a waste of ingredients. I'm gonna have to throw all of this away.' None-the-less, I finished the cookies, placed them in the refrigerator as directed and waited. To my utter surprise, these cookie balls were an unexpected simultaneous explosion of salt and sweet providing instant gratification to my taste buds. They aren't as visually stimulating as I hoped for, but boy did my taste buds love them! Moral of the story- don't judge a book by its cover! :)

Enjoy!

Peanut Truffles with Dried Cherries and Chocolate
Beat a 1/2 cup of unsalted chunky peanut butter, 1/3 cup of a confectioners' sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped dried cherries, 1/3 cup of chopped toasted almonds, and 1/3 cup of chopped bittersweet chocolate chips. Mix together with a wooden spoon. Form into 1 inch balls. Refrigerate covered until firm at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. Makes about 24 truffles. Each ball is 67 calories, 2 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams total fat.

*Of note- I don't think you need to use a mixer. There's not enough liquid to form a smooth fluid consistency. I think you're better off just using your (clean, pre-washed) hands! :)

Toasting Almonds
Toasting nuts helps to enhance the flavor. Place chopped nuts in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until nuts are toasted/light brown and you can smell their fragrance.