Oh my.
I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed, awed, stunned, and grateful beyond measure for the outpouring of excitement, enthusiasm, and kindness you sent following my announcement that I’ve quit my job, upped sticks, and am throwing all caution to the wind to take off on a grand adventure.
I cannot thank you enough for your responses. You have buoyed my heart and instilled in me the deep certainty that I’m doing the right thing (or, at least, the right thing for me, right now). I feel better prepared to beat back the doubts that whisper I should stay safe and squishy in my current routine, the routine that promises each day will be exactly like the last.
The thing is, I don’t want to know exactly how each day will play out. I want to wake up to a new city and new faces around me; I want to step outside and walk for hours, following paths chosen by whim and fancy. I want to trip and stumble and graze my knees on cobblestones I never before knew existed, and I want to brush myself off and do a little jig, knowing that the strangers around me don’t know who I am but are enjoying a little giggle at my momentary loss of dignity.
I want to treat myself to something delicious as a reward for keeping my head high, something delicious not available in Australia, something delicious that tastes all the better for knowing it’s perfect for that moment.
And I want to tell you about my moments. I’m beyond-giddiness thrilled that you, too, want me to. If I could thank you by sending out gift bags filled with sequins, googly eyes, and chocolate-covered giggles, I would.
Instead, I offer you these No-Bake Vegan Black Forest Cake Truffle Bites. They’re rich but not cloying, chocolate-y but also fruity and nutty, a healthy option for a sweet craving and, if you eat enough of them, the kirsch might just give you the chocolate-covered giggles I was talking about.
Thank you for cheering me on and coming along for the ride. You deserve a heel click.
High-Raw Vegan Black Forest Cake Bites
Makes 15 – 20, depending on the size you roll them. Adapted from my Raw Vegan Chocolate Brownie Bites.
- 3/4 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tb kirsch, cherry brandy, or cherry liqueur (optional, to taste)
- Pinch salt
- 2 tb cocoa powder
- 3 tb dark chocolate, chopped
- 3 tb dried cherries, chopped
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the nuts until finely chopped.
- Add in the dates, vanilla, kirsch or cherry brandy, salt, and cacao powder, and pulse until everything is incorporated and the mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers. (If you don’t use kirsch/brandy, you may need to throw in a few more dates to get the mixture to the right consistency.)
- Tip in the chopped dark chocolate and cherries, and pulse briefly to combine.
- Roll into balls and store in the fridge or freezer. If you take them to work, I can’t be held responsible for any emails written to your boss whilst tipsy.
Submitted to Ricki’s Wellness Weekend.
I looooove black forest cake! These may have just gone to the top of the list of things off your site that I want to make
As nice as those gift bags sound I will enjoy the photos and stories much more. Bring on August!!
My dear, you know just what to say to make me smile
Do let me know what you think of these if you try them! I’m such a lightweight (both in terms of tolerance and sensitivity to taste) that I’m really keen to hear about whether the liqueur here is enough! 
Alas, I don’t drink so you will need to get your liqueur opinions off someone else
deeeelish!
I need to make another trip to Costco to buy some Medjool dates. Life is better when I have fresh dates in the fridge.
You’ve given me that excited feeling in my tummy like I’m just about to go on holiday….
I’ve had to rely on Coles and Woolies Medjools for the past few months; it’s a travesty! (Not really. Probably the cheaper price at Costco is negated by the fact that I have to drive 20 minutes there, whereas I can walk across the road to Coles.)
I love that excited feeling!! Squish!
Oh yum! I and my daughter are always looking for gluten-free, dairy-free recipes. This one hits the mark, and so easy. Thank you.
And have a wonderful, rich, chocolatey adventure in lands across the ocean.
Thank you Christina! I love that you and your daughter look for gluten-free, dairy-free recipes, because so do my mum, grandma, and I on account of our allergies. ‘Course, my mum tends to look for savoury recipes too, whereas I have tunnel vision when it comes to sweets…
Less than a month to go now; wheee!
Ooh I haven’t had black forest anything for ever so long. Looking forward to your adventures in the days, weeks, months, years to come!
You are just magnificent. Thank you! (I wouldn’t get too excited about the immediate days and weeks. Whooooooole lotta moving and paperwork, alas!
)
I hope I’m safe in assuming your trusty MacBook Air will travel with you so that blogging on the road will occur so we can share vicariously in your adventure
Right on the money, Gary! I couldn’t imagine travelling without simultaneously weaving the adventures into words
YUMMO Hannah, YUMMO!
I am so excited for you… and it’s no surprise the out- pouring of support and couch-offers as you are just a little gem
I’m still feeling flabbergasted and a little bit like I’m going to wake up at some moment and find those responses were all a dream! But thank you, my dear friend. x
Dark chocolate and dried cherries… hello! [confession - i accidentally typed fried cherries at first. um, well, yes, how can i defy my subconscious?]
You can’t. None of us can. This is exactly why I’ll sometimes reread emails at work before sending them off and find that I’ve written “Pursuant to our phone call this morning, please find attached the peanut butter Minutes from the last teleconference…”
Well, not really. But almost. Jes’ saying that I’m with you, darlin’.
I glad you’ve been buoyed by your readers’ responses. What an exciting time for you as you make your plans. These raw vegan truffles look delicious. I love the list of ingredients. The dried cherries would add great flavour. And they are all so perfectly round! xx
Thank you Charlie. I’m over the moon, and giddy, and a little shy, really!
I think, if you cast your eyes to the top of the first photo, you’ll see a truffle that is really rather more pointy-wonky than perfectly-spherical. I’m nothing if not honest.
Oh, yum! Your raw truffle recipes are some of my favourite things, I must say.
Aw, thank you! And you’ve been so lovely as to make version of them yourself, so I believe you
OK I got very strange looks when I just said “Oh goody! More of Hannah’s balls!”
I AM THE QUEEN OF BALLS.
Just, you know, not really in daily life.
Yum. I love how you chose to celebrate your celebration with balls.
Man, I really need to get my head out of the gutter. Must be all that smut I’ve been reading lately (not including Game of Thrones).
I made choc-PB coconut protein balls on the weekend and was so proud of myself – even Evs wanted more of my balls.
(I think I’ve said it enough times in this comment.)
(Balls.)
If you say you’ve been reading the Twilight Grey porn fanfic, I’m going to be very upset with you.
Balls are the best thing to celebrate with when you’re single. True story.
I’m really glad you and Evs were able to enjoy eating balls together.
(There. Do you feel better now?)
Mmmmm, this version of your truffles is probably my favourite! I’m in love with cherries and chocolate
Cheers
CCU
Better and better and better! I tell you, Hannah, your truffle balls are magical in their ability to keep on improving
THERE’S SO MUCH PRESSURE OH MY GOD.
Teehee! Sometimes I think I should start saving some of them for an e-book, but then I just keep blogging them anyway
How genius you are adding the kirsch! I bet that these taste exactly like the cake
I think vegan no-bake bites should be their own food group. That way I could eat them for every meal and no one would think I was weird
Well, probably more so if we ate them dipped in whipped cream, but you can’t have everything in life.
I definitely don’t think you’re weird. But then again, I kind of do eat them all day sometimes, so I’m not the best judge.
Oh yum. Kirsch sounds very decadent! Though I guess in places where you are travel it might just be the way of life
That is the exciting thing about travel – to look at the world through other people’s eyes! Your post has reminded me that I twice decided to live overseas and postponed it before I finally did – makes me feel it is even more wonderful that you are heading into the great unknown
Ah, you say that and now I’m thinking about how I should try to get to Europe and Germany again….
Johanna, it truly helps give me confidence to think of people like you who have done the up-sticks-and-live-overseas jaunt. Thank you.
I would have to buy kirsch to make these…. or I could use fresh cherries (which I have!) and some other sort of liquor. Perhaps the dratted orange. Shhh, Hannah doesn’t need to know.
Upped sticks! That’s a new one for me. It would be handy if you only had a few sticks to pick up, rather than a bunch of possessions to deal with. Ah well, you’ll be cartwheeling your way through the move:)
HANNAH WILL KNOW. Hannah will always know if you besmirch her creations with the devil fruit.
*glares*
Oh Emma, how is it that I have so many sticks to pick up when I almost never buy anything and my bedroom is rather bare anyway?! So many books! So much paper! All the earrings and socks and random accoutrements that one accidentally collects! And then there’s my entire childhood bedroom to sort out…
Ah well. Parts of it will be enjoyable; particularly once I’ve finished at work
Oh, I missed out on your announcement of your exciting future adventure. We left Madison last Friday to travel across the ocean to Germany, and there I’m sitting in the capital of the Blackforest, Freiburg, reading your recipe. I’m in my hometown. I’m actually a Blackforest girl. Thus I’m an expert, and I can only say that this recipe sounds super delicious, mouth watering. I would give you the honorary (is that an English word?) Blackforest citzenship!!!!
Honorary absolutely is a word in English, and oh, the thrill! Magical Blackforest citizenship! I wish I could close my eyes and teleport myself over there right now; this is such a gorgeous moment of coincidence that it seems unfair magic won’t actually transport me to where you are! Pout!
Maybe I’m just hungry but this is your best ball recipe yet! Keep up with the regular blogging in NY, promise?
Thank you Lyf! And thank you so much for wanting me to keep blogging. I promise you I will not only blog in New York (I’ll likely only be there for a few days) but throughout the whole adventure. I’ll even try to take over people’s kitchens so that I can do some dessert creating too
Sapphire just walked in and said “We have to make that. And hey, we already have ALL the ingredients.”
Win!
SO MUCH WIN. High five! High five! And hello to Sapphire for me! Exclamation mark!
Ahhh looking at this recipe is making my sweet-tooth grow stronger! Cheers!
Embrace the sweet tooth. It makes the world go round.
No, *you* deserve a heel click.
(Is this post a reference to how it takes balls to quit your job and jump into the unknown travel wonderland? If not, it should be.)
That’s BRILLIANT! Retrospectively, I shall deem it so. Heel clicks for the both of us!
Brilliant new flavor my dear! Wish I’d thought of it. Especially <3 the liqueur in there…
I even more than 100% was thinking of you when I added the liqueur. In all the ways. xoxo
Addition of kirsh is a great idea. And it’s vegan! My good friend is vegan and I always make a carrot cake for her as that’s the only vegan recipe I know for sweets. Thanks for this one!
You’re so welcome, Marta! I’ve got a whole list of vegan recipes if you go to the tab at the top of my blog; they’re mostly sweets because, well, that’s where my heart lies
I will accept this offering of deliciousness. How did you know I like booze in my desserts?
I had a little squiggly inkling. Just a teensy little inkling.
ok, gotta try these… delicious come here!
hehe I never liked blackforrest cakes but I’d absolutely have a couple of these!!
Me neither, actually! I prefer these to real black forest cake
I’m so glad you got so much support from everyone
it’s important to get support when you make a huge decision ~
Ohh these look so healthy!!! FINALLY ANOTHER THING MY FRIEND CAN EAT
YAY! THanks for the recipe 
Thank you Daisy
this is insane i tell ya.. insane!
Oooh these look decadent and delicious! I can just imagine that the cherries and kirsch take it to a new level!
Thanks Heather! That’s a pretty high compliment from such a renowned dessert queen as yourself
Pingback: My Favourite Recipes from 2012, Month By Month - Wayfaring Chocolate