Holiday Gifts: Homemade Vegan Truffles

Treat a friend - or yourself - with these homemade chocolate truffles

Holiday gifts can easily break your budget. Making a treat is a low cost way to show your love to a friend.

If you are lucky enough to be invited to multiple holiday parties, you need to bring a gift. Break out of your grab a bottle of wine rut with these easy to make vegan (and gluten free) chocolate truffles. There is no cooking or baking involved! Just get out your Cuisinart!

Vegan Chocolate Truffles

1 1/2 cups dates
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup vegan bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate*
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Inexpensive candy liner cups make your homemade truffles look professional

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Soak the dates in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain.

Put everything except the cocoa power in a Cuisinart and blend until oats are chopped.

Form into balls about 3/4 inch in in diameter. Roll in cocoa powder.  Refrigerate.

To gift, put in candy liners and pack in an airtight container.

* I used Raaka coconut milk chocolate

Yield: about 2 dozen