Paleo Dessert: Fudge Babies
I first stumbled upon these Fudge Babies on Chocolate-Covered Katie. She went on and on about them and how much everyone loves them and how easy to make they are and sinless ... and I was kind of like, oh, shut up. But as the world turns, I am now going to turn around and do the same.
These little balls of heaven are EASY and HEALTHY* and AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.
4 ingredients: walnuts (1 c.), dates (1 1/3 c.), cocoa (4T), vanilla (1t).
1 utensil: food processor, blender, magic bullet, whatever result: divine Takes under ten minutes to prepare from start to finish. Pull everything out of the pantry, blend, roll into balls. Done.
These things taste like fudge. They're rich and satisfying. Amazing! My roommate/brother is subject to all my baking experiments and tried one and said, "good." He chewed for a minute more and said, "Not as good as cakeballs, but better than the other stuff you make."
No, bro, these are BETTER than cakeballs because while cakeballs have all sorts of poisonous things in them (white flour, sugar, preservatives, things I can't pronounce, icing with more of the same, coating with even more of the same, reese's on top with MORE of the same ... you get the idea), these have FOUR things in them. FOUR things found in nature (is vanilla extract found in nature?), FOUR things Grok could have eaten, FOUR things that make your body happy and clean (while potentially raising your blood sugar). 
I digress. I think these are the PERFECT solution to holiday dessert woes--just serve 'em up with all the other desserts and see if anyone can even tell they're different. I mean, they'll obviously KNOW they're different, but I don't think anyone would consider these "weird health food."
And hit up Chocolate-Covered Katie for variations ... or sub in any combo of nuts and other fun raw ingredients!
*Let's talk date nutrition: they're kind of calorie and carb bombs, as you'd expect from a sweetener: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/7348/2. While they are the Paleo-est of sweeteners, I'm not sure I'd call them HEALTHY, like zucchini or lean beef. Dates have a Glycemic Index of 103 and Glycemic Load of 42, making them pretty hard on your blood sugar. BUT if you're going to have something sweet (and sometimes you just HAVE TO), this is one of the best ways to go.What's Paleo? Why wouldn't you just eat cakeballs? Check out the new Paleo Challenge blog at http://thelabelsayspaleo.wordpress.com
