Makes about 2 dozen
When I first tasted these with my friend, we instantly locked lit-up eyes—silently communicating the same urgent message of emphatic approval. Buckeye candies are traditionally made with peanuts, but I think they provide a perfect opportunity to take advantage of sacha inchi’s peanut-like flavor—and deliver a daily dose of healthy omega fats, too. These buckeyes taste a lot like peanut butter cups, but are easier to make.
½ cup sacha inchi seeds
6 tablespoons coconut sugar
2⁄3 cup (packed) soft Medjool dates (about 6 or 7), pits removed
4 tablespoons raw or roasted smooth almond butter
2 tablespoons lucuma powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 batch Raw Chocolate or 4.5 ounces of dark chocolate
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except the chocolate, and process into a crumbly dough-like consistency. Stop the machine and try rolling a sample 1-inch ball with your palms to make sure the dough is moist enough. The ball should stick together on its own, but still be on the dry side, like a confection. If the dough does not stick, blend in a little water—about a teaspoon at a time—until it’s just moist enough to hold together. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and hand-roll into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a plate and chill in the freezer for 20 - 30 minutes.
Chop the chocolate into little pieces, and melt it into a liquid using a double boiler. (If you’re making a fresh batch of raw chocolate, simply follow the recipe up to the liquid stage and don’t freeze it.) Remove the chilled balls from the freezer. For each buckeye, insert a toothpick into a ball, then dip the ball halfway into the molten chocolate, and remove. Since the chocolate touching the ball will begin to solidify almost immediately, give it a quick second dip to achieve a thicker chocolate layer. Carefully removing the toothpick. Place the buckeye onto a large plate, chocolate side up. Repeat with remaining balls. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes to ensure the chocolate fully hardens, then serve at room temperature.
Reprinted with permission from Superfood Smoothies. Photo by Julie Morris.
View article: "Superfoods to Revive, Restore, Reinvigorate."