Decadent sinless sweets

Fi Jamieson-Folland makes sweet and decadent treats that are actually good for you.

You know those times when you feel like something sweet but you want to be ‘good’, as well as healthy, at the same time? Well, these Sinless Sweets are exactly what you’re looking for. They take a few extra minutes to prepare, although they’re well worth it!

Sinless Sweets

Why? Because you can! A healthy sweetie when you need ‘that little something’.

When? Useful as a special treat after school for the kids – or for yourself.

Sinless Sweets

Ingredients:

Makes 20-25 sweets

1 ½ cups all-natural pumpkin seed/ or sunflower seed/ or almond/ or peanut butter* (crunchy if you like a bit of bite)
1 cup dates (medjool are ideal, remove stones)
2 tablespoons filtered water
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ full cup sugar-free dark chocolate, broken into chunks (ideally dairy and gluten-free)**

What to do:

Pop all ingredients except the chocolate and nut/seed butter into your food processor and blend until smooth. Add in the seed/nut butter (once you’ve stirred it thoroughly) and process again. You’re aiming for a thick consistency like dough, although not too sticky.

Pinch off small pieces of ‘dough’ and roll into small balls with your hands. Pop them to one side on a piece of baking paper on a baking tray or chopping board. See if you can resist them while you work on the final step!

Put the broken chocolate chunks into a double boiler over a low heat. Warm the chocolate, stirring frequently. Once about half your chocolate pieces have melted, remove from the heat and continue stirring until the chocolate is completely smooth.

Using two spoons, take one sweet at a time and dip it into the melted chocolate. Roll it around a little so that it gets coated all over with a thin layer of chocolate. Place onto the baking tray and keep going until all sweets are coated. Save any of your left-over melted chocolate for later – if you can resist!

Pop the baking tray in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before serving. A lovely added touch for serving is to dip a fork into your leftover melted chocolate and drizzle it on top of the sweets to tempt your tastebuds even more. Then re-freeze them for another 10-15 minutes, until they’re completely firm.

Store any Sinless Sweets that aren’t eaten (doubtful!) in either the fridge (good for about 3-5 days) or freezer (good for about 2-3 months).

* To get the best results with taste, consistency and nutritional value, I recommend you make your own seed/nut butter. It’s easy and fast. Otherwise, always opt for using 100% natural seed/nut butters if you can. You’ll spot the more processed brands, as they include added oil and sugar, and tend not to work so well. If you find your butter is a bit dry, you might need to add in a few tablespoons of additional water as you’re blending.

** It’s ideal to use non-dairy dark chocolate, as this helps to maximise the antioxidant value.

Have fun creating!

Take away

If you like the idea of eating as healthily as you can, and you’d like a copy of the article ‘The 2 biggest food mistakes, and how to avoid them’, just message me direct at fi@convertibelle.com with ‘SL – 2 biggest food mistakes’ in your email title, and I’ll be happy to send it to you!

Fi Jamieson-Folland D.O, is a Lifestyle Consultant, with more than 20 years’ experience in Europe, Asia and New Zealand as a qualified osteopath, educator, writer and health mentor. She lives in Auckland with her husband, Chris, relishing an outdoor lifestyle and time with family and friends.