Orange Dark Chocolate Truffles

Today, I really needed to get some house work done.  I was plugging along, accomplishing a lot, when my 4  yr old daughter, Sofia comes up to me, and asks with her sweet little voice, "Mommy, do you think we could spend some special time together today?"  Now, how on EARTH can you say no to that?!  Realizing that moments like this won't last forever, and that I needed to seize this opportunity, I said "yes"!  Sofia is a girl after my own heart...she LOVES to be in the kitchen, so I though, what better way to spend time together then trying out a new recipe?!  (Not to mention, I had a little craving for something chocolate!!)  The original recipe I got from the Julie Morris website (www.juliemorris.net), but of course, I had to tweak a few things to make it my own!  These little truffles are fudgy, satisfying, easy to make, and very healthy...in other words, you win on so many different levels with this one, that if you don't make them, you lose! 

In a food processor combine:

10-11 pitted medjool dates (about 2/3 c.)  If you're cooking with a special little helper, it's really nice to have them remove all the pits (plus it teaches them to count, and you can point out fractions!)
2/3 c. cacao powder (you'll have to go to the health food store for this...but cacao powder is made from the raw cacao bean (which after processing becomes cocoa)...in it's raw form, it is EXTREMELY high in antioxidants!)
1 T. fresh orange zest
2 T. fresh orange juice (again, helping hands love this part...squeeze, squeeze, squeeze!)
3 T. coconut oil (so many benefits to this stuff!  You should do a little research on it...you'll be blown away!)
3 T. palm sugar (I used coconut palm) <--Health food store item
1/8 t. sea salt
2 t. Hersey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
1 T. hemp seeds, ground in a coffee grinder (protein packed, and rich in iron...just two of the many benefits of this seed!)

-Note:  the last two items are not called for in the original recipe, however, I found that my dough was too sticky to roll into balls...so if yours is fine, you can omit the last two...BUT I did taste the dough before and after adding these two ingredients, and in my opinion, it tastes WAY better with!

-Pulse until incorporated, then process on high until a thick dough forms.

-Stick in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to make it easier to roll

-Roll into balls that measure about 1 t. worth of dough...I got 20 balls from this recipe.

-Return to the freezer for 5 more minutes

-Melt 1 c. Ghiradelli Semi Sweet Chips (or Enjoy Life Chips) according to the melting instructions.  Add 1 t. coconut oil.

-Dip balls into chocolate, scraping the bottoms to remove excess chocolate.  Eat once chocolate is hardened (if you can wait that long!)

-Note:  to "fancy" them up a bit, I dusted with gold luster dust, and some iridescent little flakes.  Try making some of the balls smooth, and some of them with texture to give them more of a variety!

-Note:  these have a very slight orange flavor to them...if you want it a little more pungent, try adding another tablespoon of zest...or try topping them with zest as a garnish!