Vegan Eggnog Truffles

These vegan eggnog truffles are delightfully rich and festive. A crisp white chocolate coating gives way to a fluffy, almost whipped vegan eggnog buttercream made from a combination of raw cashews, almond milk, coconut butter, pure maple syrup, coconut flour, nutmeg, vanilla, and sea salt (or kala namak for an eggy flavor). Feel free to dress these holiday treats up with a sprinkle of grated nutmeg, or keep things simple with a bare white chocolate coating. 

We've officially crossed the threshold into the holiday season, and I'm feeling all sorts of festive.

Jingly tunes, twinkling lights, and stockings have all been warmly embraced in our home and have taken the place of apple-scented candles, pumpkins, and gourds.

Along with the atmospheric changes, there have been changes in cravings as well.

So long are the days of pumpkin spiced goods. We're now in the midst of the extra-cozy holiday flavors—think: rosemary, pomegranate, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Whenever I think of nutmeg, eggnog immediately comes to mind—creamy, comforting, and dusted with lots of the freshly ground holiday spice.

I've had these vegan eggnog truffles on my recipes-to-test list since August. I've never been one to rush into the holiday season, but with the impending arrival of our first little one (my official due date is a week from today), there's been an extra push (no pun intended) to plan ahead during the months leading up to the big day (whenever that might be).

Truth be told, I actually wrote out the first draft of this post in October—apparently the concept of nesting applies to blog posts as well, because come September I felt an intense urge to work ahead. So I did.

And it paid off.

Working so far ahead afforded me the extra time needed to really hone and refine holiday recipes so that I could pick and choose my very top favorites from the bunch.

These vegan eggnog truffles were quickly filed amongst my top three favorites in the lineup of holiday recipes you'll see here in the coming weeks. They're sweet, rich, and brimming with that beloved eggnog flavor.

Plus, they're cute and perfect for those moments when you want a little something sweet after a holiday dinner but don't want to overdo it and risk making yourself uncomfortable.

To make these vegan holidays treats, you'll start by preparing the filling. It's a subtle twist on the buttercream filling from this recipe, with the main difference being that there's a whole tablespoon of freshly grated nutmeg in this variation.

To make the filling, add the following to a high-speed blender:

» Raw cashews

» Melted coconut butter

» Almond milk

» Pure maple syrup

» Coconut flour (naturally thickens)

» Ground nutmeg

» Vanilla

» Sea salt (or kala namak for an eggy flavor—highly recommend)

Give everything a good 2–4 minute blend until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy.

Then, transfer the filling, which will be quite soft and runny at this point, to a shallow bowl, and chill it in the freezer for two hours, or until it sets firmly enough to scoop. For the first hour, you'll want to whisk the filling every 15 minutes or so to help create a fluffy, almost whipped texture.

Once the filling is thick enough to scoop, use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to scoop out rounded mounds and drop them onto a lined baking pan (they'll look like little scoops of vanilla ice cream—see photo below).

Then, transfer the pan to the freezer for about 20 minutes to chill and firm the mounds of filling.

Meanwhile, prepare the white chocolate coating.

Melt chopped cacao butter and a bit of maple syrup until smooth and glossy (or simplify and purchase store-bought vegan white chocolate chips to melt).

Then, one at a time, dip each mound of filling into the white chocolate, using a spoon to evenly coat. Return each truffle to the lined pan and sprinkle with a bit of freshly ground nutmeg.

Once all the truffles have been coated, return the pan to the freezer for a brief 10 minutes to set the white chocolate.

Then, serve and savor.

These vegan eggnog truffles can be frozen for up to one month or refrigerated for up to one week.

Their texture is best straight from the refrigerator, so if you opt for the freezer, be sure to pull them out about 15 minutes before serving to allow them to thaw/soften a bit.

📖 Recipe

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Vegan Eggnog Truffles

These vegan eggnog truffles are delightfully rich and festive. A crisp white chocolate coating gives way to a fluffy, almost whipped vegan eggnog buttercream made from a combination of raw cashews, almond milk, coconut butter, pure maple syrup, coconut flour, nutmeg, vanilla, and sea salt (or kala namak for an eggy flavor). Feel free to dress these holiday treats up with a sprinkle of grated nutmeg, or keep things simple with a bare white chocolate coating. 

Course Candy, Dessert

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, plant-based, Vegan

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 14 truffles

Author Ashley

Ingredients

Eggnog Buttercream Filling

• ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) and drained
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk
• ¾ cup melted coconut butter (it should be runny and pourable—see note*)
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 packed tablespoon coconut flour**
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground nutmeg, plus more for topping the truffles
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt or kala namak (highly recommended for a classic eggy flavor)

White Chocolate Coating***

• ½ cup roughly chopped cacao butter
• ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup

Instructions

For the Eggnog Buttercream Filling

• Add all filling ingredients to a high-speed blender, and blend on high for 2 to 4 minutes, or until completely smooth and creamy.
• Scoop the filling into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer for about 2 hours to thicken into a scoop-able texture. During the first hour of chilling, vigorously whisk every 15 minutes to create a thick, fluffy buttercream texture.
• Line a small baking tray with parchment paper.
• Use a cookie scoop**** (or small ice cream scoop) to scoop out 1 ½ tablespoon mounds of buttercream. Drop on the lined tray. You should have approximately 14 mounds, and they should resemble small scoops of vanilla ice cream. Freeze for 20 minutes to firm and set.

For the White Chocolate Coating

• Meanwhile, prepare the white chocolate coating. Whisk together the cacao butter and maple syrup over low heat in a double-boiler or ban marie until melted, smooth, and glossy. Be careful not to overheat (or splash water into the mixture) or the chocolate will seize and take on a gritty texture.

To Assemble

• One at a time, use a fork to lower the truffles into the white chocolate, and then use a spoon to spoon several coats of the white chocolate over top (it will seem very thin and clear at first but will set opaque). Return to the lined pan and immediately sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg.
• Return the tray to the freezer and chill for 10 minutes, or until the white chocolate sets.
• Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you freeze these, be sure to pull them out about 15 minutes before serving to allow them to thaw and soften. Note: These truffles are best enjoyed straight from the refrigerator and will soften and melt if left out at room temperature too long—please keep this in mind if serving to a group or at a party.

Notes

*I find it's easiest to make a fresh batch of homemade coconut butter and simply measure off ½ cup while it's still in a liquid state. However, store-bought coconut butter will yield a smoother icing because it's typically much smoother than homemade coconut butter. That said, store-bought coconut butter can be tricky to melt because it scorches and burns easily which leads to a seized, hardened texture. It's also WAY expensive (i.e., $14) compared to homemade, which usually only costs $2–$4 to make.

**Do not substitute the coconut flour. Coconut flour is highly absorbent, much more so than any other flour, which is why it's perfect for thickening this buttercream.

***You can substitute 1 cup vegan white chocolate chips for the cacao butter and maple syrup.

****I highly recommend using a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop for this step. If you try to use a spoon, it will be very difficult (and frustrating) to create evenly shaped mounds.

*****The prep time is active preparation only and doesn't include the time needed to chill the filling.