Everyone’s favorite Fudge Babies, one of my most popular recipes of all time, are back once again!
Oil Free
Flourless
Vegan
Just 5 Ingredients… and NO Baking Required!
These secretly vegan and healthy chocolate fudge balls, with just a few wholesome ingredients and no added sugar, are easy to make, completely delicious… and totally addictive!
Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!!!
Readers also love this Banana Ice Cream
This has been one of my most popular recipes with readers over the years, and for good reason.
If you’ve never heard of Fudge Babies, they’re basically raw and paleo chocolate truffles made without any added sugars, oil, or processed ingredients, and they’re pretty much impossible to stop eating.
The recipe is one of the easiest healthy desserts you’ll ever try.
Fudge Babies will always have a special place in my heart because, long before the Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip or the Black Bean Brownies came onto the scene, this was actually the first one of my recipes to ever go viral!
Fudge Babies come in all sorts of different flavors, such as Thin Mint, German Chocolate, and Chocolate Peanut Butter.
You can roll them into balls, cut out shapes with cookie cutters, or even form them into bars to make your own homemade Larabars, for a healthy snack any time you’re craving chocolate.
You can also roll them in coconut flour if you want to make your own homemade Larabar Bites.
And because they don’t need to be refrigerated, they’re great for any of the following:
Packing in a lunchbox
Making a batch to give as a gift
Shipping to family or friends
Taking as a healthy on-the-go snack
So why highlight the Fudge Babies again now?
Well first of all, the recipe is way too good to be lost in the archives.
If you have just 5 minutes, I highly recommend making a batch.
They are ridiculously fun to make and even more fun to eat.
Especially with Valentine’s Day around the corner, chocolate Fudge Babies are the perfect recipe, because they are both heart healthy and sinfully decadent and chocolatey at the same time.
But even more importantly: On February 21st, at noon EST, I’ll be making these fudge babies live in the studio at the USA Today Headquarters!
**Edit: Above is the live footage from the USA Today Headquarters broadcast
I included a few flavor variations below, but the sky really is the limit.
Have fun coming up with your own Fudge Baby flavors by adding ingredients such as chia seeds, almond extract, shredded coconut, instant coffee, or anything else you think sounds good.
I’d love to see your variations, so please feel free to post a photo of your results in the comment section below, or tag me on Instagram @ChocolateCoveredKatie.
Fudge Babies – The Famous Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts or nuts of choice – Or here’s a Nut-Free Version
- 1 1/3 cup pitted dates
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder
- optional just over 1/8 tsp salt
- optional mini chocolate chips
- optional add-ins such as chia seeds or shredded coconut
Instructions
- *If your dates are super hard, just soak them in boiling water for a half hour. Most regular grocery stores carry dates; just be sure to buy them pitted. I usually add the salt, but it’s your choice! Blend all ingredients in a food processor (or halve the recipe and use a single serve blender or mini chopper). When doing a full recipe, I’ve found that a food processor works much better than a blender because everything processes more evenly and the results are not a sticky mess. Roll into balls – I find it’s easiest to transfer the dough to a ziploc and smush it into one big ball, then break off pieces and roll into smaller balls. Feel free to dip in melted chocolate or roll in cocoa powder or shredded coconut or coconut flour. You can also form bars or even roll out the dough and cut shapes with cookie cutters! View Nutrition Facts Variations: Hot Chocolate Fudge Babies: 1/4 cup raw cashews or walnuts, loosely packed 2/3 cup pitted dates, 1 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder, pinch salt Coconut Cookie Fudge Babies: loosely packed 2/3 cup pitted dates, 1 1/2 tbsp coconut butter, pinch salt Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Babies: 1/4 cup roasted peanuts (with salt), loosely packed 2/3 cup pitted dates, 1 tbsp cocoa, 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract And here’s a Cookie Dough Version!
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OH MY HECK. I just made these – they are freakin’ amazing! I LOVE them – they taste just like a brownie! Thank you, thank you!!!
Thank you, Thank you for this great recipe. I love it. Made it for the first time today, and i can’t stop thinking about all the different variations i can try.
You are Amazing. Keep on thinking of tasty thinks to create.
I feel bad, but i just ate the entire batch in 2 days!!! lol. mmmmmm sssoo good.
How many does this generally make?
I’m thinking about trying them ASAP 😉
It depends on how big you roll the balls :).
Wow, these really are the best!! I made the original first and we loved those and then upgraded to the Hot Cocoa version and wow, I still can’t believe these are healthy!! It’s really amazing, thank you!
Awesome! I have made the original recipe twice now. Added shredded coconut to the batter, then ground some almonds added more shredded coconut and rolled the balls into the coconut/almond mixture. Everyone has loved them, even friends and family that think the stuff I make is usually too weird. Thanks!
I finally found those stinking dates and… Oh my God.
These are little balls of heaven! They taste BETTER than fudge. I’m in love. 🙂
I just became a follower of you 2 days ago. I’m sure these treats are going to be in Heaven! Wow, Katie! This has to be hands-down the best healthy treat I’ve ever had. 🙂
must.stop.eating.these.
I’m so glad you found me! And even more glad you gave the babies a shot… it’s hard to believe they’re healthy! I feel that way too! Now the even harder part is trying to STOP eating them. They always seem to find their way into my mouth! 😉
Just made these, with a few changes since I didn’t have cashews on hand, so good! This was the easiest quickest recipe ever. Trying to find sweet treats for that 3 oclock craving and i think this is it! Thanks for the recipe!
I tried the Original Fudge Babies with the cashew’s and they were wonderful…will satify your chocolate cravings…and especially thanks for putting the grams measurements. I tried sooooo many recipes and they have not come out right. Thanks so much. Linda B
I’m so glad they worked out for you, Linda!! 🙂
I just made the original fudge babies!! I’m obsessed! I love raw dessert-type things. These are literally perfect and totally satisfied my sweet craving!
🙂 🙂 So happy you liked them!
Katie, you are my new best friend!!! I had a sweet tooth something terrible. I just made these, and I came close to dying from ecstasy! Simply awesome! Thank you, thank you!
I’m always happy to have a new best friend… especially one who appreciates chocolate ;).
These look amazing! I’ve just started eating Larabars which are chewy bars (similar to Clif) that are made entirely of raw food with usually 4 ingredients or less. I love how dates can become such a great naturally sweetener. I will definitely be making these, so thanks 🙂
Just made these (with raisins because I had no dates) for the first time today – they’re incredible! I LOVE all your recipes and the health-conscious creative genius that goes into them!
Can you believe I’ve never tried them with raisins? I think I need to!
I just made these for the second time and my two year old says they’re better than the wheat/condensed milk version we usually buy from our local cafe! A very new convert, I am so happy to have found your blog. I’m now slowly trying to convert my white flour loving husband into a Katie-treats-eater… So far, so good!
When I tried these the first time I didn’t have dates so used sultanas (raisins) and didn’t have walnuts so used pecans and then rolled them in coconut – they were good too!
Awwww! Your comment is so sweet :). Made me smile so much!
It won’t let me leave a comment on your blog (because I don’t have a wordpress or google acct), but I wanted to say that I love that you’re blogging for YOU! And I like your background; it’s unique and fun! 🙂
Now these are DELICIOUS! And in moderation, ARE healthy. Yum yum!
Haha “moderation” being the key word. Whenever I make them, I keep going back for more ;).
I was showing my mom your blog while we were making the Genius Blondies and she pointed to the Fudge Babies on the side of the page, saying, “Wow, I want those.”
So while the blondies were in the oven, I kept the food processor out and made Fudge Babies for the first time…. Delicious! We used this organic raw cacao powder that my mom had around, which made them extra fudgey! We’re in heaven. 🙂
Awww yay times a million! Your comment made me smile so much :).