Maple Walnut Cheesecake Truffles {Dairy-Free; Gluten-Free; Naturally-Sweetened}

With that evil temptation of a holiday coming at us this Friday, I had to take preemptive measures.

Otherwise, I knew I’d be doomed.

(Ok, maybe not doomed, but at the very least I’d come face to face on a collision course with a sugar binge and subsequent sugar high and crash. So maybe doomed is the right word, lol.)

Anyway, if you have a hard time staying out of the candy dish on Halloween night (whether it’s thanks to a fabulous party, your kids’ loot, or the leftover pot of treats that didn’t get handed out to trick-or-treaters), I have a surprise for you. And you’re going to love me for it.

Maple Walnut Cheesecake Truffles, anyone?

These itty bitty power-packed treats are deceiving; despite being small, they pack a serious punch of protein and whole grain. Plus they’re naturally sweetened with a touch of maple syrup, gluten-free (just be mindful of the brand of oats you buy; be sure to buy from a company who offers certified gluten-free oats because some companies process their oats on the same equipment that they use to process products containing gluten), and dairy-free.

This recipe features GO Veggie! Dairy-Free Plain Cream Cheese; if you’re not familiar with this product, it’s a great dairy and lactose-free alternative to regular cream cheese. It also happens to be gluten-free, has four times more calcium than regular cream cheese with fewer calories, and has no cholesterol. It’s what puts the cheesecake in my Maple Walnut Cheesecake Truffles.

These truffles taste like maple walnut cheesecake met oatmeal cookies in a health club. And the rest was history.

So instead of having two (or you know, five because gosh it happens fast and boy are those candies small!) pieces too many of Halloween candy, reach for these truffles instead. ;)

Maple Walnut Cheesecake Truffles {Dairy-Free; Gluten-Free; Naturally-Sweetened}

Prep time: 30 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Yield: 20 to 22 truffles

Ingredients

1½ cups (170 g) toasted, unsalted walnuts, divided (see Note)
1½ cups (120 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1¼ cups (150 g) raw, unsalted cashews
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
8 oz (227 g) container GO Veggie! Dairy-Free Classic Plain Cream Cheese
½ teaspoon cinnamon, for dusting on top

Instructions

Add the walnuts to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Remove half of the nuts and reserve them for stirring into the truffles. Continue pulsing the remaining half of the nuts until they’re finely chopped; transfer them to a shallow bowl and reserve for rolling the truffles in.
Add the oats, cashews, and salt to the food processor and process until powdered. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, maple extract, and cream cheese and process until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the coarsely chopped walnuts.
Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the truffle mixture and refrigerate until fully chilled, about 2 to 4 hours (overnight is fine).
Use a 1½-tablespoon scoop to measure out the truffles; roll them into balls between your hands and then roll them in the finely chopped walnuts to coat. Sift the cinnamon on top.
Serve chilled or store the truffles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

Walnuts: If you can’t find toasted walnuts, you can toast them yourself on the stovetop or in the oven. For the stovetop method, add the nuts to a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium to medium-high heat; stirring frequently, toast until the nuts are fragrant and browned in places, about 5 to 10 minutes. For the oven method, preheat the oven to 350F and arrange the nuts in a single layer on a large baking sheet; toast until the nuts are fragrant and browned, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring the nuts every 5 minutes. (Note that I do not add oil for either method.)

Disclosure: I received the GO Veggie! products that I used in this recipe for free, and I also received compensation for this post. I am happy for the opportunity to share brands that I believe in with my readers, and I hope you enjoy my recipe. As always, opinions stated are my own.