Have a ball!

'Tis the season for creating delicious sweet treats to share with friends and neighbors! For some reason, cookies weren't appealing to me last week. Instead, I made balls--two varieties of festive chocolate balls! (And neither required me to turn on the oven)

The first variety was a maple-sweetened truffle. Simple and healthy (enough). The second variety was a treat that reminds me of a block party that my neighborhood used to throw every fall when I was growing up. It was called "The Buckeye Festival", which was really an excuse for all of the kids to run around like crazy while the adults played some sort of wacky golf through everyone's yards while drinking beer. I have a deep fondness for the festival's namesake candy--the buckeye. Essentially, they are peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate with lots of sugar added for good measure.

Have a ball!

Coconut Cashew Truffles

1/4 c. maple syrup
1 c. cashews
3 TBS. coconut oil
3-5 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Blend all of these ingredients in a food processor. Add more maple syrup if its too dry or more cashews and cocoa powder if its to wet. It should be sticky, but dry enough that you can shape it into balls.
2. Roll spoonfuls of it into bite-size balls.
3. Roll the balls in a little extra cocoa powder to coat them.
4. Chill and enjoy.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

1.5 c. of natural peanut butter (I used a little bit of sesame butter)
1/4 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. chocolate chips

1. Blend nut butter and real butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and continue to blend until creamy.
2. While your peanut butter mix is chilling in the refrigerator, begin to melt your chocolate chips using a double boiler.
3. Roll spoonfuls of the peanut butter into balls and drop them into the melted chocolate. Roll them around to coat--making sure to leave a little peanut butter exposed to give it the look of a buckeye (aka horse chestnut). Scoop them out of the chocolate using a fork and place on a cookie sheet. Chill in the freezer or fridge and enjoy.