Secret Ingredient Chocolate Truffles!

I recently attended a healthy holiday brunch.  The surprise hit of the meal was a simple chocolate truffle.  Yes, a healthy chocolate truffle.  That didn’t TASTE healthy at all!  Smooth.  Creamy.  Decadent.  OMG. You’re not going to believe this, but I am telling you…the secret ingredient was…

…green peas.  Yes, you read right.  Green. Peas. I’m not crazy, I swear. 

I asked the chef for the recipe and she told me: “It’s very easy, just Google ‘truffes aux petits pois'”.  Lucky for me, I speak and read French, and I was able to discover and translate this amazing recipe for Green Pea Chocolate Truffles that was developed by French Canadian chef Annik de Celles. See the original recipe in French here.  Normally, truffles are made with heavy cream and melted chocolate.  Here, no cream, just green peas, rich in fiber and other healthy nutrients. I promise, you’ll never know it. 

Green Pea Chocolate Truffles

makes about 12

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups frozen green peas
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• extra 1/2 cup cocoa powder or ground nuts to roll the truffles in

Directions

1. In a saucepan with 2-1/2 cups water, boil the green peas for 5 minutes.  Drain.  Do not allow to cool.
2. In a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt the chocolate.
3. Place hot peas in a food processor and process until the purée is very smooth.

   

4. Add 1 cup of the HOT pea purée to the melted chocolate and stir well.
   
5. Add the other ingredients (except the reserved cocoa and/or nuts) and stir well.
   
6. Allow to cool.  When solid enough to manipulate, roll into scant 1″ balls and roll in the extra cocoa powder or chopped nuts.