So...very...naughtah aka Chocolate Truffles aka Greg's chocolate balls.

DISCLAIMER: Here follows some extreme naughtiness. Be under no delusions, this recipe is a treat, just because you’ve made it yourself does not make it some super healthy grass fed steak replacement that you can feast on everyday.

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Finn: I had nuffin to do wit' it yer Honor.  Honnest!  I learnt my lesson after Cake Week.  Sometimes I still wake up at night, rocking to and fro and screaming; 'Pecan pie, pecan pie!'

This was all Greg's fault *wipes chocolate from mouth *looks like Dickensian street urchin *puppy dog eyes.

That said it’s going to be really tasty and a fun reward for spending several hours foraging bare-chested in the forest, climbing trees, and stealing honey from wild bees (that’s how you guys get your honey too, right?).

I found myself home alone on Sunday, Finn had gone out on some kind of cruise, and in typical English fashion it was raining outside. The kitchen was clean and tidy and we happened to have the right combination of ingredients lying around the kitchen. I also had a set of drug dealer scales that I bought on Ebay, to precisely weigh everything.

As you may or may not know, I’m a little bit of a chocoholic, since going Paleo I moved to eating darker chocolate, and milk chocolate now just seems overly sweet to me. A couple of hours later I’d managed to cover myself and the walls in chocolate, and had set fire to a pan of water.

This is my first foray into chocolate making. It’s actually really easy, and I’m not sure why it takes 10 years to become a chocolatier in France. (cue a mob of angry French people rioting outside my house). 

This is a recipe for chocolate truffles, which is basically chocolate praline covered in cacao powder. I’ve modified the recipe to make it more “paleo friendly”, so they are dairy free and we don’t use regular sugar. However there is still a fair bit of sugar in these (unless you like it really dark and bitter). They are also high in good fats and anti-oxidants, but might contain some caffeine and Theobromine. Raw cacao is also amazing stuff, and you’d be hard pressed to find something this good on the high street. You can also use regular cacao for this (I actually used some Bourneville cacao as I left my good stuff in Amsterdam), just be careful not to confuse it with drinking chocolate which is only 25% cacao and the rest pure sugar.

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The ingredients:

• 70g (half a cup) of the best quality 100% cacao powder you can find (raw is the best),
• 30g of raw unmolested cacao butter
• 200ml of coconut milk or cream (keep a bit reserved)
• 2 heaped teaspoons of virgin coconut oil (or a bit more if it’s melted)
• 20-30g of honey to taste
• A couple of handfuls (50g) of de-shelled roasted nuts (I used hazelnuts)
• Optional: Some natural vanilla seeds/extract, mint extract, or orange zest
• Optional: a knob of grassfed butter (if you want to be extra naughty)

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The recipe

This is really easy, and you’ll never want to spend the £40/kg that shops charge for chocolate truffles again.

1.  Break the cacao butter into small pieces and mix, and add to the cacao power in a bowl.
2.  Blitz the nuts in a food processor until they a roughly chopped.
3.  Add the coconut milk and oil (and optional butter) to a pan and bring to the boil
4.  Pour the hot mixture over the cacao and mix thoroughly until until it’s smooth and the cacao butter has melted in.
5. Add the chopped nuts, honey, and any flavourings. Mix thoroughly
6. The mixture should be a smooth and slightly runny, if it's too stiff then add a bit more hot coconut milk. If it’s too runny  then add some cacao powder. It should be runny enough to stir quickly with a small amount of resistance. Don’t worry as it will harden up once cool. (cacao butter melts at 37C and coconut oil at 25C)
7. Taste the mixture, if it’s too bitter, then add more honey. If it’s too dark then you can add some more cacao butter (you may need to gently melt it) or real butter. Now is a great time to add flavourings too. I've made some using peppermint extract which were really nice. You could also try using our teabag trick (no not Finn’s one!)
8. Allow the mixture to cool for an hour or two in the fridge, or put it in the freezer if you’re in a rush
9. Once the mixture has started to harden and stiffen up (Finn: *snigger*) you should be able to start making truffles
10. Sieve some cacao powder onto a plate
11. Using 2 teaspoons pick out the mixture and shape into a ball. Roll the ball in the cacao powder until it’s completely covered, and set aside
12. Resist the temptation to each freshly rolled truffle, and save them in the fridge for later. They should be smooth and melt in your mouth.

Heat the coconut milk until it just starts to boil

Alternative recipe

It’s possible to substitute the cacao butter and powder with a bar of dark chocolate. Just halve the amount of coconut milk you use, and don’t add any honey.