A friend who comes to all of your Canberra gospel concerts to watch you sing, and who buys both you and herself tickets to the Soweto Gospel Choir as your early birthday present. A friend who laughs when you clown around before the performance and then puts her arms around you when you start sobbing during intermission.
(Yes, in public.)
(I’m one classy lady.)
A friend for whom you make white chocolate macadamia blondies when life is proving that she’s a diamond: beautiful, shimmering, worth millions and, no matter what, so strong that no attempted scratches from external forces can truly damage her.
A friend who arrives at your workplace with just-baked, perfectly-crumbly, dissolving-into-sweetness-in-your-mouth Milo Shortbread to express her sympathy and support right when you need it.
A friend for whom you make these Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Truffles, to celebrate both her stunning finish in Psychology Honours and her resilience, and to thank her for her friendship, love, laughter, and happiness.
Oh, and also to prove again to the world that, no matter how much you clothe these treats in the title “truffles”, you truly are the Queen of Balls. The Queen of Naked Balls, no less. After all, why roll truffles in cocoa or coconut when they taste this good unadorned?
I know I say this a lot, but you should really make these vegan truffles. Everyone who tried them loved them, including my very-not-vegan parents.
So go on… take a bite. Prove to the world that you, too, are a diamond.
Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Truffles
Based on my Vegan No-Bake Anzac Biscuit Truffles
- 1 cup (120g) cashews
- 1/2 cup (45) desiccated coconut
- 2/3 cup (60g) rolled oats
- pinch sea salt flakes
- 1/3 cup agave syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 (40g) tart dried cherries, chopped
- 2 [Australian] tb (30g) dark chocolate, chopped
- Place the cashews, coconut, rolled oats, and salt in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Add in the agave and vanilla and pulse again until the mixture comes together.
- Stir or pulse through chopped cherries and dark chocolate.
- Roll into balls the size of your choosing, call them truffles to save your dignity, store in the fridge or freezer or, even better, give to one of your favourite people and start clapping with glee in the middle of a restaurant when she tries one of the truffles straight away and exclaims that it’s delicious.
I’m submitting this to Lisa’s Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love and Ricki’s Wellness Weekend.
And a friend who knows that chocolate and cherries ALWAYS BELONG TOGETHER.
When you’re the best of friends spending so much time together,
You’re not even aware you’re such a funny pair,
You’re the best of friends.
Yes, I just applied The Fox and The Hound to chocolate and cherries. Why not?
i love these naked truffles… love coconut, cashew and cherrry!!
Hurrah! Naked desserts for all!
Nice balls! (Ha. I’m so immature. There is a street in Townsville called Balls Lane and I can’t say it without laughing.)
But seriously, these “truffles” look just gorgeous. And a perfect gift to a wonderful-sounding friend.
I would’ve been highly disappointed if no one had made balls jokes, so thank you, Theresa. Thank you indeed
We found an old bag of dried tart cherries the other day from a camping trip last fall. As we’ve noshed on some with our oatmeal, there are only three or four left. Not enough for balls. And still no cashews in the house – not very ballsy either.
But now I can sing and be free and tralala the whole day through, dreaming of nothing better than ballsing my way through an afternoon, cat by my side, hot cuppa tea on the table. Okay, so this isn’t exactly what my life will be like in the coming weeks, but uhh, maybe.
Oh, plus, congrats to your friend! Yahooskidoo for finishing up things!
“Yahooskidoo” is my new favourite word. I wonder if I could use it during my Serious Flown-To-Sydney-For-A-Work-Meeting-And-Fancy-Lunch Meeting tomorrow?
It should be! That’s what you life should be for the next three months, at least, as you celebrate your awesomeness and schedule in nothing but fun and wonderment for alllllll of the foreseeable future. Heck, you could even watch all of MIOBI and Heartland again, straight through, start to finish, if you wanted to and if Psychic Cat agreed….
How delicious these look you Queen of Balls, you.
*bows* Why thank you, Shannon dear!
You are one ballsy lady. I’m still awaiting the gift of a food processor so I can try making my own truffly treats.
That’s what’s on my Christmas list too
I actually didn’t use a food processor for these; I pulverised the nuts and oats in my blender and then stirred in the rest by hand 
You could also use almond meal and oatbran, and not need the blender at all!
Oh hoooooray! Was just thinking about what kind of vegan treat I should make tomorrow for a family dinner – you’re a legend
Yummo.
Oooh, do let me know what you think if you try these!
Made them! Managed to find vegan sugar free dark chocolate here in NZ too -hurrah
They were DELICIOUS – didn’t tell anyone they were vegan/healthy and they were gobbled up toot sweet!
HURRAH!!! This makes my soul sing
Lol… Queen of Balls…!! How do you ever come up with these things?
I guess I was just born with a natural talent for making fun of myself
I’d love to say she got her humour from her mum but that would, unfortunately, be a lie.
Ha ha. No it wouldn’t!
Let’s just say I got my ability to laugh and look for the positives in any situation from my mum. That’s a polite way of engaging with this discussion, right?
Oh gosh, now I want these to go with my papaya ones! They look gorgeous. I love that they have a story behind them too
Teehee, when have I ever posted a recipe that doesn’t have a story behind it?
I think these would go lovely-ly with your pretty papaya treats!
I agree it’s time for some naked balls! Am I allowed to say that here? I always rolled mine in coconut. But it’s true!
If there’s anywhere you can feel comfortable voicing your lust for naked balls, it’s here.
Coconut would definitely be nice here, but I wanted to keep it simple or the first try.
Yes simple balls are always the best. Oh stop!!!
Never stop, Catherine. Never stop.
Please don’t encourage me! We’ve just started the ski season here and after season comes l’après-ski. Oh the muscly thighs!
I am, at this very moment, imagining you standing in front of a fireplace in a room filled with sweaty hunky ski-men doing the Beyonce Single Ladies dance.
I want to make those for Christmas!! Just need to get the dried cherries. I wonder if you could use fresh?
Hmm, personally I wouldn’t use fresh cherries here, as they would be far more moist, completely different in flavour, and wouldn’t keep as long. If you can’t find dried cherries (Costo!
) I’d substitute a different tangy dried fruit, like craisins, or apricots, or just add more chocolate 
ANZAC oookie dough is extremely delicious and these balls have the main ANZAC flavours. Without trying and without being a diamond I know these are delicious.
Friends who do so much for you certainly deserve naked balls:)
Hmm, well, I’ve never had chocolate or cherries in my Anzac biscuits, but I do agree that the original recipe hand all the right Anzac flavours!
Teehee, absolutely. Friendship = naked balls.
I feel like you writing about the Queen of Balls or Queen of Naked Balls was a shout out to me
Spay Lady, anything I’m Queen of, you’re Queen of too
Particularly after reading that you’ve had a recipe published on a magazine’s sex page..?
Yummmmmmmmm…I have recently taken to making all my desserts in raw and ball form as I am too lazy to do anything else. Naked balls still sounds more sanitary than raw balls though…
Shhhhh! Don’t give away our secret! I like to pretend that my obsession with making new varieties of naked balls is to do with cleverness, not laziness
Just wait ’til I come up with a cream-filled naked raw ball…
Hi there.
These look wonderful! My only concern is the raw oats. I have read a lot about the phytic acid in oats being a huge problem and pulling nutrients out of the body. I wonder if you could soak the oats (sort of) in the liquid sweetener and then make these to reduce that effect.
Hi Adrienne,
Let me know how you go if you soak the oats first! And thanks for popping by 
Personally, I’m an advocate for moderation in both food and the way we approach and think about food, so I’m not one to believe in things like oats pulling nutrient out of the body. So I’m not at all concerned about phytic acid, but feel free to experiment with this recipe in a way that makes you feel happy about eating it!
These would be such a nice change of pace, to break up all of the heavy, ultra-decadent desserts that the holidays bring. Looks like the ideal balance of sweet and wholesome!
Thank you Hannah! My mum has actually asked me to make some of my raw truffles for our Christmas dinner. Hurrah for sweet and wholesome!
Milo shortbread. Oh yes please…..!!!!!!
….now, where can I find Milo here….?
….In a care package if you want to email me your address sometime?
There is nothing like a good friend. OR Chocolate Cherry No-Bake Truffles!
Yum. And Yum again.
Amen. And amen again
Love, the Queen of Balls.
Oh my Queen of Balls! Am imagining a sceptre with a giant truffle on the top, rolled in neither cocoa nor coconut but edible glitter for maximum sparkle and impressiveness. And perhaps a crown with a truffle sitting on each of the pointy bits. I think I have all those things…with cranberries playing the role of cherries at this performance…and just, *just* enough energy to make them, especially as there are some good friends in my life who deserve these!
Hah:) As long as its nude-colored glitter. Buff glitter, if you will.
Nude glitter on my naked balls? Please someone think of a catchy title for that inevitable “movie”.
Laura, with that description, you just made me feel more beautiful and effervescent than I’ve ever, ever felt in reality. Thank you.
Though, just to be clear, the real reason I keep pulling out these recipes is that you promised we’d get together and make every single one of my raw truffles one day, and so the more I make, the more we make, ergo the more time I get to spend with you when that day comes.
It just has to happen! It has to! *stamps foot petulantly, but in a friendly manner*
Friendly petulance is the best kind of petulance.
*dances around the room in happiness at the future-awesomeness*
Well bearing in mind how much I couldn’t stop making/eating said Anzac truffles, I think I could just about manage one or twelve of these – if you really twisted my arm, of course…
Teehee, I love that you’ve made my Anzac truffles more times than I have! Maybe those are the ones I should make for Christmas lunch…
I still have your Anzac truffles bookmarked (“pinned,” actually), but now I may have to bookmark these as well.
I just pulled some vanilla white chocolate marshmallow cake bars out of the oven and wish you were here to share them with!
Oh my lordypie! Words cannot express how much I wish I was there right now too.
*closes eyes and pictures sitting at a bench in a kitchen talking and laughing, picking at sweet treats and describing everything I’ve been bottling up these past few months….*
Soon. Soon.
You gotta work it Lady! We are all diamonds! Although mine is a bit muddy, trampled and dirty.. hee hee.. but yayy to close good friends!
You, Angle Babe, are one of the most diamondy of all the diamonds
A little bit o’mud can’t stop that! Yay friendship!! 
P.S. I am going to be in Melbourne for a few days in early January, but I also *might* be there for a weekend at the end of February, if work lets me go up on the Saturday instead of the Monday
cherry chocolate and coconut – sounds more my sort of thing than anzacs – great gift – your friend sounds like a great recipient of a psych degree – hope it takes her where she wants!
Me too, Johanna. Fingers crossed for her
xo
I’ve made a lot of truffles/dessert balls too but never vegan (although I do bake vegan sometimes) – these sounds wonderful!
Oh and PS – everyone deserves a friends like yours (and you!)
Aw, shucks! Thank you! And I agree (to the first part; without that disclaimer I sound like my head is the size of the earth
)
Is there any other way to make no bakes than vegan? I guess I’m just so used to dairy-free! And of course, why would you use eggs in no bakes?
glad you all enjoyed them they look delicious!
That’s an interesting question, but I actually do have one no-bake recipe here somewhere that uses raw egg. (I remember that distinctly because an American wondered whether it was safe, and I hadn’t even thought twice about it when making/eating/posting the recipe. Then again, I grew up eating raw cake batter with egg in it
) Plus a lot of no-bake recipes use sweetened condensed milk, so that’s not necessarily vegan. But, for me, mostly all the no-bake treats I make myself are vegan, as I also leave out the dairy 
How lovely exchanging delicious things with your friend. And how lovely going to the Soweto Gospel Choir. I soooo want to go. I know they tour quite a bit but the timing never works out somehow. Am very jealous. And so pleased to know the queen of balls. They all sound delicious, and I should try some some time, when I have half an hour to myself. Actually this time of year a girls thoughts turn to rumballs. Must try and make some of those this week.
Perhaps, the next time the Soweto Gospel Choir tours Australia, you, the Queen of Balls, and the mother of the Queen of Balls could endeavour to finagle three seats in a row at Llewellyn Hall
Ah, I keep *wanting* to try rumballs but, every year, I chicken out on account of my inability to stomach hard liquors. Perhaps I could try kahluaballs or frangelicoballs to ease myself into it…
That does sound a fantastic idea! We shall have to remember.
Rumballs don’t have enough rum in them that they should upset delicate constitutions- although good ones should have a decent enough slug that you can taste it. Perhaps I can bring rumballs for us to nibble on so daintily at the Soweto Gospel Choir? I don’t particularly like frangelico and kahlua falls rather firmly in the coffee camp, so it will remain a mystery to me forever, although conceptually I can see that it would be appealing to some.
Oh I’m with your Louise … rum balls cannot be replaced with anything else and lets do look out for the Soweto Choir another time.
I’m in! (Well, seeing as I suggested it, of course I’m in, but I’m even more in now that you’re both in too…. yes.)
Alas, my ability to sniff out trace amounts, let alone slugs, of rum is up there with my ability to sniff out and be stomach-turned by orange in desserts. I may simple have to appreciate teh rumballs from afar. (Darn that ill-fated night back in teenage years!)
I tend to make truffles of the exceedingly chocolatey sort with truck loads of cream, but I love the look of your recipe! And they look so pretty!
Will have to mix this in with the lot this year maybe…
Aw, thank you! Sometimes I think they look like little spotty brains, so I’m very pleased to hear you think these are pretty
I’ve never made proper cream truffles on account of the allergies in my family, but one day…
Love! Love and baked goods. How gorgeous. You truly are the Queen of Balls
Heidi xo
Now all I need is for Lewis Carroll to write a series of books about me.
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