Guilt-Free Chocolate Almond Fudge Balls

I’ve been having trouble finding “healthy” treats in stores - treats that do not contain any refined sugars, artificial sugars, or sugars with a high glycemic index (GI). So I figured it was easier just to make my own treats at home.

The trick to making a healthy treat is to use a healthy sweetener. This way you’ll get to enjoy the sweet flavor of the treat without worrying about a breakout or uneven skin tone.

My personal favorite natural sweeteners are agave syrup and xylitol.

Agave syrup is made from cacti in Mexico. It is a fructose sugar but it has a low GI. If you’re buying agave, make sure you opt for the “blue” agave. It’s the best quality and has the lowest GI. The great thing about agave is how natural it is. It’s kind of like eating honey.

Xylitol is processed but it has an incredibly low GI so it will not adversely affect your skin at all. It’s also great for your teeth! Xylitol is made from a few different natural sources, including the cob of corn and tree barks.

Stevia is also a fantastic (non-breakout) sweetener that you can easily cook with at home. Stevia is the best sweetener to use if you have an overgrowth of Candida, because it will not feed the Candida bacteria like all other natural sugars do. I haven’t had much experience with stevia yet because I don’t like the taste, but when I start the Body Ecolody Diet next year, stevia is the only allowed sugar on the diet so I’ll learn how to use it then!

Chocolate Almond Fudge Balls

This is one of my favorite treats to make at home. It’s not cooked so you’re getting the added nutrition of a raw food. Keep in mind that these chocolate balls are not as sweet as Cadbury’s or Hershy’s, but they’re still incredibly addictive and I love them! They have a strong chocolatey-almond taste so you’ll need to love both chocolate and almonds

Makes 24

2 1/4 cups of raw almonds
2 Tablespoons of Tahini
2 Tablespoons of agave syrup
2 Tablespoons of shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon of coconut oil or coconut butter
5 dates
1 Tablespoon of cacao power

Loving preparation

1. Grind the almonds in a blender or coffee grinder to a powder. It’s okay if there are still large almond chunks. Sometimes I like to leave almond chunks on purpose to add a bit of texture.
2. Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix with your hands.
3. Mold into 24 round balls. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.