Todays post is brought to you from an awesome guest, Vanessa from Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind. To keep it short, this woman is a dessert genius and I would have never thought of this.
This is my first guest blog post! I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do! If we were going through a proper introduction in person, perhaps this is the point where I would tell you how the Civilized Caveman and I actually met. Well we live in the same awesome city you see, which is really cool. I didn’t even know that until like a month ago. He could have lived in Ohio for all I know. Which might be weird for you if you live in Ohio and you’re reading this, because then you’d be like, well that’s not really that far away. My point is, he could have lived anywhere but lucky for me he lives right here (not Ohio) and we have lots of things, people, and places in common and he was kind enough to let me unleash this recipe on his blog waves. It involves his famous Civilized Caveman Banana Bread and chocolate. Two of the finer things in life. Have you ever had his banana bread? Of course you have. But seriously it’s probably the best banana bread on earth and I’m not going to lie, it almost didn’t survive long enough for me to make this recipe.
As you’ll see below there is a point where you’ll have to trim the edges off of the bread, key word “trim”. My edges were cut, like inches, and the banana bread loaf kept shrinking and then I was like okay enough is enough! I HAVE to make this recipe! (Shoving one last bite of banana bread in my mouth…and then one more). So my advice to you would be, make 2 loaves of his banana bread, one to make this recipe with and then one to just eat because, well it’s delicious and you’ll want it later. Trust me. So now I present to you Paleo Banana Bread Chocolate Truffles. If you like what you read and eat, feel free to check out my blog at Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind; it’s open 24 hours a day so stop on by!
Paleo Banana Bread Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
Paleo Banana Bread
Cashew Butter
- 1 cup of raw cashews
- 3 teaspoons coconut oil
Paleo Cream Cheese
- 2/3 cup of cashew butter
- 1/3 cup of organic palm shortening
- 2 tablespoons canned coconut milk full-fat
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Chocolate
- 1 cup of enjoy life chocolate chips
- 2 squares of 85% cacao dark chocolate bar shredded and reserved
Instructions
Paleo Banana Bread
- Make THIS RECIPE and then come back for these instructions
Cashew Butter
- In a food processor add your cup of cashews and puree for about 10 minutes or so until you get a doughy consistency
- You will have to scrape down the sides a few times
- Then with your food processor on, drizzle the coconut oil through the top until thoroughly combined and you have a creamy nut butter texture
- This is the cashew butter you will use in this recipe for the Paleo Cream Cheese below unless you bought cashew butter
Paleo Cream Cheese
- In a food processor combine all of your ingredients and puree until smooth
Chocolate
- Using a double boiler melt down the Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips until smooth
Assembly
- Trim off the edges of the banana bread and eat them as a mid cooking snack. You know you want to. Then put the loaf in a large mixing bowl and crumble with your hands or a fork until finely ground into small pieces.
- Fold the Paleo Cream Cheese into your Banana Bread crumbles and mix until well combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take a bit of the banana bread cream cheese mixture and roll it your hands to make even sized little truffle balls about an inch in diameter. Then place them on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. My batch made 50.
- Refrigerate for an hour.
- Use a spoon to dip chilled banana bread balls into the melted chocolate. Use the spoon to roll the ball around until it's completely covered in chocolate. Then place gently back on the parchment paper.
- Gently grate a few shavings of the 85% cacao dark chocolate onto the top of the truffle while it's still wet.When you've finished place back in the fridge to let the chocolate harden.
- Keep refrigerated and enjoy
****Disclosure: If you purchase any of the products linked in this post or products through the links on the right side of my page, I receive a small percentage from the respected affiliate programs****
Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam
Do you have a working link to the banana bread recipe? Both links for the banana bread recipe take me back to the banana bread chocolate truffle recipe.
Thank you
The link for the banana bread isn’t coming up can you post it again?
I made the paleo banana bread (as muffins) with this recipe last week (6/10). Now I can’t get back to do it again. The link to the bread redirects to the truffles. The truffles recipe includes banana bread, saying “use this recipe” but the link redirects back to the truffles recipe. Help?
Is the banana bread post still up? When I click on the links above it just take me to this same page with the truffle recipe. Thanks
Can you repost the banana bread portion of the recipe?? When I click on the link it just takes me to the truffles over and over! I’ve made them before and they’re awesome and I don’t want to lose it!
Hi, i cant link to the paleo banana bread, it brings back to the truffles. The bread recipe has disappeared.
ugh! I can’t get to your banana bread recipe! only the truffle recipe for which I need the bread recipe!
I made the normal variety of banana bread, but it also turned out too moist. I used coconut oil instead of grass fed butter, and butter instead of nut butter. Maybe next time I take out the coconut oil completely.
As for the chocolate dipping part, I may have used the wrong kind of chocolate–Ghirardelli Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips. They were melting just fine and then suddenly became a peanut-butter consistency that wasn’t at all ideal for dipping! The balls ended up with thick blobs of chocolate stuck to them, not at all like the photo in this recipe. I’m sure I did something wrong with my double boiler method, as well!
Oh well. :) I hope I get to try this again or at least just the banana bread. The crust (though seemingly burned) was delicious!
I made these yesterday – used coconut oil in place of palm shortnening. I must say I was so excited and the end result looked good – but there was not alot of flavor in the middle. I did add sea salt on the outside which helped a bit.
Next time I would amp up the spice or add lots of nuts or some more flavoring. It was just so bland when you bite into it. I suppose add until the batter you roll tastes as you wish….
But love the idea and that it’s low glycemic!
Exactly! We all have different taste buds located in different areas, right? I’m happy you were able to improvise and own it!
OH no. Different ovens will have different cooking times. I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but no need to follow my instructions exactly. Just use the toothpick trick with the bread ;) better luck next time, and please let me know how it all turns out!
This recipe is amazing. I ate practically all of them myself.
Enjoy :)
Made the banana bread – posted a pic to your FB page… turned out like a brick with a caved in top. BUT…holy amazeballs. This was the moistest (if that’s even a word) ‘nana bread I’ve ever made – why do you think mine turned out the way it did? Anywho…decided to turn ’em into Truffles and they’re ridic. I cheated a little though and skipped the “cream cheese” and just mixed the banana bread with sunbutter and a scoop of almond butter. Insane.
Kristy, what do you mean it turned out like a brick? Did you use almond flour or coconut flour?
Saw these. Made these. Ate these. Oh, was I supposed to share? Okay, I didn’t eat them ALL. There are still a few undipped ones in my freezer. Nice answer to all those unhealthy cake ball recipes I’ve seen. And my mind is racing with the many different flavor combinations that could be done. I’m thinking pumpkin, white chocolate, and ginger. Also thinking I should go workout. :P
See how behaved I was? Good thing you can’t read my mind. :)
Haha
YUMMY
So I just made these using your Mother’s day chocolate cinnamon swirl recipe. Since I figured i had enough chocolate (is there such a thing as “enough” chocolate though?), I made the banana bread/paleo cream cheese balls and rolled them in shredded coconut. DIVINE! thanks vanessa and george!
ps vanessa, I’m about to make your paleo nut buttercups right now too!
That sounds amazing
I’m curious if anyone has tried anything else in place of palm shortening? I went to 3 different stores today and couldn’t seem to find any. Thanks!
I used coconut oil (congealed)…
I think someone already said it -“Shut the door” – I made this and everyone else in the house had their eyebrows raised……….too bad…….they are mine!!!! Well, the SIL loved them too…….It makes so many I froze some and kept the rest in the refrig……..these are tasty, filling, creamy, yummy – a great evening after dinner desert/treat or I use one for a pick me up when I’m moody. CRAZY terrific. Hard to eat just one, but savor the flavor! Thank for sharing your banana bread (which BTW is the best ever) and having Vanessa as a guest!!!!! That gets a HOORAH!
Woot woot best comment of the day :)
I’m almost mad at you for making something so amazing. That makes ZERO sense, but if I make these, I won’t be able to stop myself from eating all of them. Thanks for the incredible recipe – I’ll just make sure to do some major Crossfit workout beforehand and share with friends!
Awesome Steven, so glad you both enjoyed
Ok, here’s what I did: Had a perfect loaf of the paleo banana bread that I baked this weekend, and by perfect, I mean that the loaf was so moist (NOT gooey) that you could hardly differentiate between the crust and delectable insides. (so no peeling crust for me) Now… I’m one of those “eyeball” kitchen scientists that use the measuring utensils to carry the product to the mixing bowl, not always to the exact recipe amount, because I want it MY way. Now that the loaf was down to 1/2 by the time I received the 3rd “epiphany” to create these stellar little confections of joy, I dove in an crumbled up the rest of the loaf. I skipped all the cream cheese and cashew butter and just dumped about 1/3 cup of almond butter (pre-made organic in the jar). Rolled some moist balls and dropped in the freezer. Then, returning to my addiction of creating the earth’s most precious chocolate; (simple, low carb, non-refined sugar type) I whipped up a batch of dark goodness and carefully dipped the frozen banana balls of bliss individually into the chocolate which in turn started the chocolate to harden on the ball. The finished tray went into the fridge less one sample.
I need to find a red carpet event now to share these high class truffles. This is truly a top-notch, special occasion, delectable, melt-in-your-mouth, one of a kind treat and care should be taken to have many friends and family available to help with consumption.
Awesome recipe! I’ve made chocolate covered “laraballs”. I dipped them using a spoon as well, but ended up having the excess chocolate harden with unsightly edges. Do you have any suggestions for avoiding this? I was thinking of using toothpicks next time. Thanks.
Use a plastic fork with the middle two prongs removed
I have never posted a comment before but had to for this one! I made your banana bread today and used a cookie cutter to make shapes for my kids, they loved it! I then used the leftovers, mixed it with a spoonful of sun butter, dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut. They were so easy and amazing! Tasted like a peanut butter cup. Thank you so much for the awesome bread which my kids loved and the brilliant idea to make truffles.
Here’s a tip from an experienced cake ball maker…. Instead of a spoon to fish the balls out of the melted chocolate, break off the middle two tines of a plastic fork, leaving the outer two. Much easier to drain off the excess that way.
Your a genius
Macadamia nut butter is also a good substitute for cashew butter (if allergic to cashews or you don’t have that or cashew butter) and higher in MUFAs (mononusatured fatty acids.
Yes it is
I wasn’t able to find macadamia nut butter for another recipe on the blog from Whole Foods (they stopped carrying it), can I use the same proportion of nuts:oil to make any nut butter? Thanks!
Hi George,
She could whip extra water into the nut butter with a whisk or food processor to make it fluffy and omit the palm shortening, then freeze the mixture so it gets harder or just be sure to chill the filling mixture longer before rolling in the melted chocolate.
You wouldn’t have to, you could look around. Most of them are in regular stores
I have made the red velvet version…But, yum…banana bread is next…
Sounds delicious soul pretty
Looks great!! I love getting free recipes online, especially since most are just pushing content to sell, but paleo is great and lots of places to get free recipes. My blog also has tons of great paleo recipes! (shameless plug) lol.
Oh these do look good. the idea of “cake pops” has been around for a while. I used one of your muffin recipes, a batch of paleo frosting and freeze dried berries. made the pops and dunked them in the white chocolate from your recipe. Used lolly pop sticks then placed the pops in a Styrofoam half dome. The kids loved them. the possibilities are just about endless. A friend made dairy free “cheesecake” cake pops dipped in your white chocolate. Oh my gosh where those good.
Oh that all sounds delicious
The picture did it.Tthese are being made for my daughter’s Violin Recital on Sunday. I freeze batches of your muffin recipes for emergencies. So i won’t even have to doing any baking. Genius!
Woohoo that is awesome Sarah. Hope your daughter has an awesome recital
can i use like almond butter instead of the cashew butter? I’m (unfortunately) allergic to cashews!
Sure can
Do you think it would work using coconut oil instead of palm shortening?
I honestly don’t know
Try coconut concentrate!
Hi Jackie,
I had a reader ask the same question and I suggested she try using the coconut oil but maybe start with half of what was recommended, so perhaps 3-4 Tbs. and then go from there taste/texture testing. You just want to make sure that the oil doesn’t weigh down the banana bread and make it too crumbly to roll into balls. She did as I suggested and said it worked fine. Let us know if you try it!
I made these yesterday with 4 tablespoons of coconut oil in place of the palm shortening and they have turned out to taste fantastic according to everyone who has tried them.
That is awesome news
What do you do with the Cashew Butter? Do you mix it in with the Cream Cheese? The recipe does not say…
That cashew butter that you make is what you use for the cream cheese. I just added a step to clarify