Have you ever tried Herbal truffles?

Image courtesy of Pixabay/Katetsib0

If you’re excited about learning herbal medicine and collect interesting herbal recipes, undoubtedly you came across different variations of the recipe I’ll discuss in this post.

They’ve been called no-bake cookie nuggets, stress support balls, nutrient boost balls, everyday herb power balls, ninja balls, energy boost balls, adaptogenic space balls, date nut balls and so much more.

I was introduced to herbal truffles in the beautiful mountains of Vermont where I completed my apprenticeship with Rosemary Gladstar.

Rosemary is a famous American herbalist, and was even called the ‘Godmother of American Herbalism’.  She is known for her amazing ability to bring people together and skillfully guide them on their journey of learning herbal medicine.

Rosemary is the founder of Sage Mountain Herbal Education Center, creator of International Herb Symposium, The New England Women’s Herbal Conference, and author of numerous books and programs. A wonderful mix of relentless energy, deeply rooted healing power, and a unique gift of invigorating others make Rosemary very special.

Rosemary was one of my first herbal teachers. The year I attended her program from April to November we’d come together for a long weekend every month.

Before heading back home, Rosemary would often give us “Zoom Balls” for the road, to keep us energized and awake during a long drive.  Her Zoom Balls contained guarana powder; one of the several plants known for its high caffeine content.

I’ve also learned that you can use a variety of different herbal powders, masking them in a delicious mixture of nut butters and honey (or other sweetener like maple syrup).

There are 3 reasons why learning and using this simple recipe is wise:

1. Herbal truffles are easy to make 

There are very few ingredients I am listing below.  Anything else you add is a plus, and a great way to express your creativity!

2. Herbal truffles make for a great snack

Herbal truffles provide you with a healthy snack.  One trick is to use higher quality nut butter like almond, sesame, walnut, or cashew. Don’t stress if you don’t have these nut butters, however, a simple peanut butter will do just fine.

They all contain raw, nutrient rich and bioavailable ingredients. The idea is to make them in advance (once a week or every other week).  What could be better than eating a tasty and nutritious herbal truffle?

3. Herbal truffles are a convenient and simple way to take herbal medicines

It’s typically difficult to persuade someone to take powders (I’ll discuss some alternatives with you in the future). The truffles, however, are tasty, easy to make and fun. Herbal truffles allow you to hide less pleasantly tasting ingredients.

Nut butter and honey are the main ingredients. I have experimented with a variety of other ingredients.

Some of my favorites include coconut oil, coconut flakes, chia seeds, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, goji berries, dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries, and even a little Himalayan salt.

You can also play with dates, oats, flaxseeds, flax meal, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, vanilla and other.

Some of the commonly used herbal powders include ashwagandha, guarana, turmeric, slippery elm, maca, eleuthero, shatavari, licorice, cinnamon, astragalus, medicinal mushrooms, spirulina and many others.

When making herbal truffles, you start by combining the nut butter and honey.  In the following step, slowly add herbal powder, bringing the entire mixture to the consistency of dry cookie dough. Then you’ll divide the dough in small equal pieces that you can easily roll into small balls or truffles. At the end, you can sprinkle or roll the balls in the coconut flakes, cocoa or carob powder.

I typically store mine in the refrigerator, they are good for a week or two.Clinical herbalists even measure how much of herbal powder to use per batch of the truffles.  Based on this they decide how many truffles to make.

The only problem I typically experience in this situation, is trying not to eat the entire batch!  

Questions: Have you ever made herbal truffles? What ingredients work well for you in this tasty treat?