'Tis the season! Candy cane season, that is ;) . Made these gluten-free vegan chocolate peppermint candy cane balls the other day. Set them in front of some friends and watched them "fight" over them to the last ball -- yep, they were good! Kind of like a peppermint mocha at Starbucks good {I really miss those!}. Seriously, paired with some coffee, these were the BEST!
And they're really easy to make {no-bake, not fussy}, and apart from the candy cane {which has to happen this time of year, ya know}, they are refined sugar-free and totally... um... good for you... What?! They are! They could totally be made without the candy cane too {then they'll be raw vegan and paleo chocolate peppermint balls -- nothing wrong with that ;) } -- just roll them around in some cocoa powder and you're all set. But candy cane makes me jolly. And I got even more jolly when I found an organic, corn-free, vegan candy cane pack at the store {made with raw cane sugar too!}! And that's how I ended up with these little nuggets of Christmas in a jar ;)
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Candy Cane Balls
'Tis the season! Candy cane season, that is ;) . Made these gluten-free vegan chocolate peppermint candy cane balls the other day...and they were darn good!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 14 - 20 balls
- Category: Balls
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
- 8-10 candy canes (I used vegan, corn-free ones)
- 1 ⅓ cups almonds (other nuts would work too)
- 2 cups almond flour (other nut flour would work too)
- 2 cups medjool dates (pitted + presoaked for 15-20 minutes in hot water)
- ¾ cup cacao powder
- ¼ cup liquid sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup)
- 5 tbsp softened coconut oil (soft, but at room temp -- not hot)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint oil
- pinch of salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place candy canes in a mini-food processor {I used my magic bullet} and process into a mixture of crumble and dust. Alternatively you can crush the candy canes by hand by placing them in a zip lock bag, wrapping with a towel, and then smashing them with something hard on top to break them up into bits and shards. Set aside.
- Process almonds in a food processor into a fine crumble. Add in all remaining ingredients, except crushed candy canes, and process until everything is thoroughly combined and mixture begins to form into a ball.
- Pour some of the candy cane mixture onto a rolling plate. Have a serving plate handy. Scoop out about 1 - 2 tablespoon mixture (depending on how large you want your balls to be) from the food processor with your hands and roll into a ball. Roll around in candy cane mixture and place on the serving plate. Repeat with the rest of the mixture (adding more of the crushed candy cane mixture onto the rolling plate as needed).
- Chill for 10 minutes in the freezer to help the balls firm up quickly, or enjoy them fresh. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Mary Pat Dubois says
Can these be frozen?
Audrey says
Yeah, absolutely.
Veronica says
I used carob powder instead of cocoa powder since my husband is allergic to chocolate. I also rolled them in carob powder instead of candy canes. These were great! Next time I'll make them smaller balls, though. One more note is that this recipe totally filled up my food processor. If you have a small processor or want an easier time blending you may want to halve it.
Audrey says
They sound great with Carob! :) Thanks for sharing your experience, Veronica. I'm glad you both enjoyed them.
Carol Ann says
Hello Audrey! I'm also in Canada and I was wondering where you got your candy canes? I haven't seen ones that seemed neither vegan or corn free! Do you remember the brand or store where you found them? Thanks a lot!!
Audrey says
Hi Carol Ann,
I used ones by a company called TruJoy Sweets. Around Christmas time I used to see them in a bunch of places (though I haven't been paying attention the last few years, so hopefully they're still around :) ). I've bought them in the past in Ontario at The Big Carrot (Toronto), at Organic Garage (Richmond Hill), at Jo-Anne's (Peterborough), and I believe even in Superstore. I'm fairly certain you can also order them online. This is what mined looked like: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0b/d4/64/0bd464c00436ba85e736bc8e4d4893b5--organic-candy-winter-fun.jpg
Carol Ann Trachy says
Thank you!! It seems no store got it near me, but I found a couple of places I could order it online!
Audrey says
Ah, that's great. I was also curious so have been keeping an eye out while shopping lately and saw them at Superstore again this year, and also at that Peterborough store. Glad you found them :) Enjoy!
Maryjo says
These are so easy to make and they taste great!
I must have made them smaller then yours because these recipe gave me around 30 balls.
Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Maryjo! So glad to hear you liked it :) Yeah, I rolled my balls out bigger by the sound of it, but I think smaller balls are great too and it's a forgiving recipe in that sense -- I was actually thinking of trying to make the next batch smaller and see how many I end up with, so glad to hear how many you turned up with :)
Raia says
Sharing these as part of these Savoring Saturdays special, as well. ;)
http://raiasrecipes.com/2014/12/gluten-free-holiday-drinks-cookies.html
Audrey says
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe, Raia! Going to see what other holiday goodies you've got lined up in there now :)
Melissa French, The More With Less Mom says
These look awesome! Thanks for posting. Hello from Natural Family Friday.
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Melissa! :)
So sorry for the super late response here by the way. I just discovered my site has been throwing a whole lot of genuine comments into the spam folder and I just noticed them all in there today -- yours included! : /
April J Harris says
Oh my goodness, these look amazing! I love how wholesome the recipe is too. Thank you for sharing your Chocolate Peppermint Candy Cane Balls with us at the Hearth and Soul hop. Pinned and will tweet :-)
Audrey says
Thanks so much, April! What can I say other than that I was really inspired by the candy canes in my cupboard ;)
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas says
Audrey, I love these, the crushed candy canes look so pretty and festive. This has been featured as one of my favourites over at Sweet and Savoury Sunday. Stop by, grab a button and link up again with us this week. Have a great day!
Audrey says
Thanks Laura! So glad you liked them :) I'm a total sucker for the candy cane look this time of year! I can't seem to find the link-up from this week on your blog though -- am I missing something? I'll check back again at a later time to see if it was just a glitch.
Laura M. says
Hi Laura, this is great, thank you for sharing! quick question...Can I sub the almond flour for almond meal? Thank you in advance!
Audrey says
Hi Laura. Yes, almond meal would work just fine. Enjoy them! :)
Laura M. says
Thanks Audrey for your quick response!
Audrey says
You're welcome :)