Thursday, March 12, 2015

Chocolate, hazelnut and cranberry truffle balls {London marathon fundraising}

It has been far too long between fruit and nut truffle recipes. These go some way to making up for lost time. I think they are now amongst my favourite truffles (although I have a tendency to say that with all new truffle ball recipes!). The mix of hazelnut, cocoa, dried cranberries and coconut is gorgeously balanced, and utterly delicious.


Alas, my running this week has not been quite as perfect. I discovered the meaning of "hitting the wall" last Saturday, when I had an experience at mile 17 (of an intended 21) that I hope not to repeat in a hurry. My legs didn't want to move, I felt light headed and dizzy, and I wanted to sit on the pavement and cry. Having run 20 miles the week before, it was a disconcerting experience, only offset slightly by coming down with some kind of virus since. I'm glad to have a possible reason for my Saturday experience, but being unwell means I've missed some shorter runs too. I'm trying to remember that one disrupted week of training won't make or break the marathon, but it is frustrating.

Hopefully next week will bring full health and a smoother long run. In the meantime, these aren't a bad way to top up energy levels, irrespective of physical health.




A note to my UK readers: I don't list weights for the ingredients here, for the simple reason that my kitchen scales need replacing. However, I find that these kinds of balls are well suited to cup-based measurements because the key is getting the proportions right, rather than absolute weights. So, it shouldn't matter if you use metric or American cups, or even a basic tea cup.

Chocolate, hazelnut and cranberry truffle balls
A delicious snack that is extremely easy (and quick!) to make
Vegan, no bake and easily raw (use raw cacao)
Makes 18 - 20 truffle balls

Food processor required

Author: Bite-sized thoughts


Ingredients
1 metric cup hazelnuts
1 metric cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/4 metric cup + 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
1/4 metric cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

1/4 metric cup desiccated coconut, extra, for coating

Method
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until finely ground. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue processing until the mix starts to clump together - about 2 minutes. 

Roll the mixture into balls and coat in the extra coconut. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 to 4 hours, until set.


                                                                                                                               
This post is part of my fundraising efforts for the 2015 London Marathon. I am running for Beat, the UK eating disorder charity. If you liked this recipe and are in a position to make a donation, I'd be grateful for any contribution you could spare! You can make a donations of any size on my fundraising page.

Check out my introductory post and my fundraising page for more information. 

Days until the marathon: 44                    Training miles logged in 2015: 271
                                                                                                                               

What is your favourite way to enjoy hazelnuts? I love them, but tend to forget about them...

Submitted to Healthy Vegan Fridays

16 comments:

  1. These look delicious (love the B&W style photo too). I really must try these - haven't had hazelnuts for a while - I tend to get them at christmas for panforte and then forget about them all too quickly. As I noted on FB, glad you hit the wall with weeks to go to get over it - I hope it is a blip and you are back to normal again even if you haven't had quite as many runs as you had planned. Will be interested to hear how you fare after this what helps in getting through a tough time. And more importantly go easy on yourself and hope you feel better soon.

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    1. I forget about hazelnuts too - despite really liking them, they just slip off my radar!

      I am definitely glad I was unwell this week rather than closer to marathon day. I hope I can give an update on how I recovered at some point!

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  2. Awww girl, I think anyone who has trained for a marathon can tell you about hitting walls! I think I've done it in almost every marathon and definitely during training! I also promise that one week will not make or break your marathon experience. Your training is a summation of weeks and weeks and hey - maybe taking a break will do your body good!

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    1. Thank you Joanne! I think I needed to hear that. I was prepared for the concept of hitting the wall on marathon day, but doing it at a shorter distance than I'd previously run was a bit dispiriting. I guess I can chalk it up to experience though.

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  3. These sound so yummy! I love hazelnuts, and I can imagine they go really well with cranberries and chocolate :)

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    1. I think it's a combination I need to explore more :)

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  4. I 'hit the wall' well before the 17-mile mark! Some days of training are easy while others are a struggle. I don't know why that is but perhaps if you are coming down with something, a training session that doesn't go to plan could be the first sign. I do love your truffles. When I see truffles I always think of Christmas. I do love how these are predominantly just hazelnuts and dried cranberries xx

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    1. I think you're right Charlie - I should use such training experiences as a bit of an early warning sign I suspect. It would certainly be more helpful to view them that way then to launch into catastrophising about my fitness!

      These would be perfect for Christmas - I'll have to remember them next year!

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  5. Yum! I am really into these sorts of balls as a snack I can have in the fridge that distracts me from any desire for lollies.

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    1. They distract me from straight chocolate ;)

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  6. Hey Kari. So sorry to hear you've been under the weather. It's very likely that your body was using energy to fight off the virus infection hence why it didn't have enough in reserve to finish the big run. It happens to the best of us ;) The main thing is that you take it easy until you're fully recovered. One week out of training isn't going to set you back (even though it probably feels like that at the mo). In my experience, whenever I've had to take a week out, I feel stronger than ever when I get back into it. I hope you feel back to 100% real soon xx
    p.s. Those truffle balls look amazing! You've used one of my all-time favourite flavour combos. Yum!!! :)

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    1. Thanks Sharon :-) It is easier said than done sometimes to remember the 'rest is better than pushing through' motto, but it definitely is the right approach to take. Fortunately I am feeling much better!

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  7. Kari - these sound like delicious little treats (and a good post-run snack!). Lovely to see another vegan running blogger =) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe over at Healthy Vegan Fridays! I am pinning your recipe to the Pinterest Board. I look forward to seeing more contributions.
    And don't be hard on yourself about running, it sounds like your body just needed a bit of a rest =)

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  8. Fingers crossed you're now over the worst of the virus (aided by the truffles!) I have pretty much all the ingredients in my cupboard bar hazelnuts. Reckon other nuts might work, like pecans?

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    1. Absolutely! Pecans would be lovely I think. Almonds would be less exciting but probably also nice :)

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