You probably thought you were done hearing about our wedding, didn't you? You know how people say "it's my birthday week" or "it's my birthday month"? Well it's our wedding decade, alright?! (Indulge me for a bit longer, will you?)
When we mailed out our wedding invitations, the RSVP postcards had a recipe card on the back that asked our guests to "please share a favorite family recipe." We ended up collecting 68 time-tested family recipes that filled my grandma's wooden recipe card box to the brim. Occasionally we flip through them, quizzing each other on dishes based on the ingredients. Yet for some reason I've still only shared one of the recipes with you (Lana's BEST EVER Mac & Cheese). Let's change that.
Starting with these Nutella Pistachio Truffles that I adapted from one of these recipes and a (free!) downloadable RSVP Recipes cookbook.
Given my obvious love for hand-written recipe cards that trade hands through the years, I picked a small collection of our RSVP recipe cards to put into an e-cookbook of sorts to pass along to you (that's what recipes are for, right?).
You can download the whole cookbook as a PDF here. Now you can be part of my family too. I broke in Osvaldo's Tostones recipe with a few stains already. Consider it loved.
Let's talk more about the food that inspired this recipe book.
The recipes in the e-book and the one shared here are just a sprinkling of the large collection of mouth-watering recipes our friends and family sent us. And it doesn't include some of the more amusing ones that ranged from an ingredients list that read: "Sorry, mom's in Korea so I don't know exact measurements" to our friend who signed her Indian-Spiced Brussels Sprouts "From the kitchen of: Wen-fai...I made it up just now=)"... to the two shown below for amusement (click to enlarge, if needed).
One of the most holiday appropriate recipes came from Anjali of The Picky Eater, who shared her Cocoa Oat Truffles.
To see one of these passed on RSVP recipes in action, I adapted her recipe to make these Nutella Pistachio Truffles. The plan was to bring some of them to the neighbors and to give a couple to thank Alanna for letting me taste her chocolate and pistachio butter cups. My plans were well-intentioned, but then something happened.
I accidentally ate them all. (#sorrynotsorry)
These nutella truffles don't taste exactly like the stuff you eat by the spoonful (no? just me?), but they've got cocoa powder, hazelnuts, and a bit of honey to remind you of that faved creamy snack. They're soft and chewy, with deep cocoa making them taste like decadent candy. Sweetened only with dates, figs, and a bit of honey, they're still delicious enough to satisfy your midnight craving, but just enough that you can easily eat a dozen in one sitting. Add these to your holiday cookie platter and they'll be the first to go.
Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour, I make this by grinding gluten-free oats in my blender until fine
- 8 pitted dried medjool dates, About ¼ cup and 2 tablespoons
- 6 dried figs, stems chopped off
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus 1 tablespoon for rolling
- ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons pistachios, finely blended in a food processor for rolling
- optional: Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the oat flour, dates, figs, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, hazelnuts, honey, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a food processor and process until smooth.
- If it is too dry to stick together, add one tablespoon of water and blend until smooth. Likewise, if it's too dry, add a tablespoon of oat flour. You want it to be a tad bit sticky to it can easily roll in the cocoa powder.
- Roll the mixture into 14-16 balls, about a tablespoon each, until they are firmly held together.
- Place the pistachio powder and cocoa powder on two plates.
- Roll each ball in either pistachio powder or cocoa powder (Or, my personal favorite: pistachio powder first, then cocoa powder second).
- Chill an hour before serving. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Natalia -
They look so good!
Carla (@charliesue) -
Thanks to this post, no one asking me for a recipe will ever get a straight answer again. (Your friends! They're so fun!)
I made my own truffles for the first time last year and they were SO GOOD. I'm making a whole batch and not telling anyone. (Pretend I didn't say that. What? Shiny! Over here!)
Sarah Menanix -
Squirrel?!
Chris @ Shared Appetite -
And p.s.... love all these photos!!
Chris @ Shared Appetite -
This is so amazing! I'm totally check out Sprout right now.... and that idea to have people write down recipes on your RSVP cards.... you Sarah, are a genius (but I'm sure you already were aware of that, right??!!).
So be straight with me... I've seen dates before for healthified truffles and such... what does it taste like? Is it really truffle-like? Or more chocolate flavored dried fruit like? Give me the down lo!
Sarah Menanix -
Here's the down lo (except if I do it publicly is it on the DL?): It tastes sweet and caramel-y from the dates, but doesn't have an overwhelming dried fruit taste. The primary flavor is chocolate, but almost like a fruit-filled truffle. Their texture is not the exact same as a traditional truffle, but a bit more chewy. Also - you should make them because they're so simple and dates - while I think they look like roaches -taste DELICIOUS. Plus, then you can justify more than one glass of eggnog hot cocoa because you ate a HEALTHY dessert.
And thanks! :)
Kirsty @ Ever So Sweet -
I love so many things in this post!
Those truffles are so beatiful...the pistachios on the outside <3
Your RSVP idea! I love it. I'm so stealing it for whenever I get married!
And that computer sounds super cool too. The cat photo thing would definitely happed to me. As soon as I open my laptop my cat is up and sitting on the keyboard...EVERY time!
Sarah Menanix -
What is it about computers that makes them CAT MAGNETS?! I often think that's the primary purpose for my laptop - cat bed. Haha. Thank you, Kirsty!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter -
Oh my gosh, I love the recipe cards! They are so so cute and so is the wooden box that you store them in :) These truffles look absolutely gorgeous! I love that they are healthy too especially during this time of year when we tend to indulge too much. Wish I had a few right now!
Sarah Menanix -
Hehe - I indulged too much by eating ALL OF THEM. Except, since they're healthy, that's okay, right? ;) Thanks, Kelly!
Maryanne @ the little epicurean -
I love the recipe cards idea! I'm going to have to keep that in my mind for my wedding ;)
P.S. I'm reading about your healthy nutella pistachio truffles as I eat super rich (not healthy at all) pistachio ice cream.
Sarah Menanix -
Mmmm - these would go great with pistachio ice cream. I wish I had some right about now.
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking -
1) You can NEVER have too many pet pictures. I just took random videos of my dog sitting on my lap licking my face last night instead of writing a blog post.
2) That is such an awesome idea for a wedding! I'm stealing it. For the far-off distant future. Because my wedding decade probably won't begin until yours ends.
3) NUTELLA. I need a box full of these. Pretty please.
Sarah Menanix -
Bahaha - that sounds like an excellent use of your evening. Why didn't those make it into the post??
Also: I can't wait to start celebrating your wedding decade!
There might still be a few over at Karen's house if you ask nicely;)
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking -
My wedding decade is going to loooong off in the future, so please don't hold your breath! ;) And my guy isn't ready for him or his dog to make an appearance on ze blog yet, so once he gives the okay, be prepared to be bombarded with cute doggie pics! :D
Jessica M -
I LOVE the idea of the recipe cards on your invites! In fact there are so many amazing ideas in this one post I don't even know where to begin! Gorgeous recipe cards, online databases, touch pads, healthy truffles!!!! Add adorable cat photos to that and I'm just having a sensory overload over here. Definitely making those truffles for the family this year -- mom can know but for the boys it'll be our little secret that they're healthy -- and by the way, if I ever get married, I'm officially putting you in charge of planning my invites ;-)
Sarah Menanix -
Haha now you know how I feel every time I look at your posts! They taste so sweet without any sugar that the kids will surely be fooled;) Also: yes, I'd gladly accept the honor of planning your invites! :)
Ellie @ Homemade Hearts -
Your recipe cards are so cute! And I love the wooden box that you store them in :) Thanks for sharing these cute cards with us! But most of all, thanks for this amazing recipe - Nutella and pistachio truffles: it does not get any better! I will add this recipe to my holiday baking list :)
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you! That box was passed down from my grandma to my mom and now to me, which makes it feel extra special. I would love to hear how you like the truffles!
Melanie -
This looks amazing!!! I love all of your photos!
Melanie @ meandmr.com
Sarah Menanix -
You're so sweet - Thank you!
Min -
Is there anything you can't do, Sarah? These truffles look so so good! I want the whole bowl! I have a very.very weak spot for anything soft and chewy. And thank you so much for sharing such incredible collection of handwritten recipes! Love love the RSVP postcard idea. So smart and creative you are ;)
Sarah Menanix -
Haha - there's so much I can't do. Like...run, for example. Or have self-control when there are healthy truffles around;) Fortunately they're healthy, so you totally can eat the whole bowl! Thank you so much, my sweet friend!
Kristi @ My SF Kitchen -
That is such a neat idea!! I love it! And these truffles look to-die-for!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks, Kristi!
Amanda Paa -
Wow, what a super cool idea! I'm so intrigued. I would love to create something like this. So many memories and recipes can be passed around. You are super talented my friend. And now I know we are cat connected too! :) On another note, these nutella pistachio truffles sound bomb...
Sarah Menanix -
Yay! I hope you can meet our kitties when you come visit. And Catamus too. I assume you're coming out just to visit the cats, right? (Also - thank you...you're making me blush:)
Tessa | Salted Plains -
Trapper Keeper!! Yes! Sarah, what an awesome idea for rsvp cards - such a keepsake too. We made made mad lib rsvp cards with a "marriage advice" theme, but I haven't figured out how to best save them all. Sprout looks pretty nifty. And, these truffles sound delicious!
Sarah Menanix -
I love the madlib RSVP idea! We had some madlibs on our wedding tables, but didn't necessarily get them back from every person. The ones we got were hilarious to read through. I still have mine in a box of wedding keepsakes - SOMEDAY I'll make a book out of them...
Thanks, Tessa!
Thalia @ butter and brioche -
This is such an inspiring post Sarah. I love the idea of asking for family recipes - I would be SO interested to know what people shared with you! The truffles look totally delicious too.. and surprisingly healthy?!
Sarah Menanix -
Oh man - we got all sorts of recipes. Top secret sugar cookie recipes to menudo to cranberry orange relish! Thanks so much, Thalia!
ellie | fit for the soul -
Dannnnng girl~~~~~what a lovely lovely post and great job putting some work into this! I absolutely love how cute your desk looks, as well as that adorable recipe box.....I'm too lazy to make boxes of anything, I think. Haha. But seriously? That touch pad is exactly what I've been telling myself all these years, "techy companies should really come up with something convenient where we place the paper on top, and boom--it's on the screen". And your cat....so incredibly beautiful and ummm lean! Lol, ours is so cute and has shiny coat but he's so.....big...more than garfield. 0_0
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you so much! We re-did our desk area a couple of months ago, but I've never had an excuse to share it until now!
Hahaha - our kitties are like miniature cats. Forever kittens. We have no idea why because we feed them a ton, but both of them are so so tiny. I've got a sweet spot for chubby kitties too;)
Kelly - A Side of Sweet -
This is such a sweet idea! What a nice way to preserve all of those special memories! The Sprout is so fun to play around with and I'm totally feeling inspired by this project!
Sarah Menanix -
Did you get one too?! Ooo - looking forward to seeing what projects you make with it (just as soon as you get unpacked:)
Sheri Nix -
These look amazing! Can't wait to try them at some point! ;)
heather @french press -
thee truffles are far too gorgeous to be healthy, and I only wished I had thought of a rsvp recipe card now I need to get married again
Sarah Menanix -
Yay! And we can all come and eat all of the food, right?
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen -
These look so good! I love snackable, poppable things like this!
Cyndi @ My Kitchen Craze -
What a great idea for the wedding! I love that. I wish they had those ideas when I got married 13 years ago. Ok I just feel old saying that. The e-book is an awesome idea and that computer station gorgeous. I can honestly say I have never eaten truffles, but these look absolutely gorgeous and delicious! Pinned!!
Sarah Menanix -
Hahaha - aww don't feel old! That's lots of love right there. Since these are HEALTHY truffles there's a good place to start...because you can eat all of them yourself without sharing. Thanks, Cyndi!
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files -
I love this idea! And totally just downloaded the book. I am a sucker for cookbooks and handwritten recipes!
Sarah Menanix -
Aww - yay! I'm so happy to hear that you downloaded it! (Seriously - it took me forever, so that makes my day:)
Mandy @Mandy's Recipe Box -
I love truffles! How yummy!
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West -
Hi Snixy Sarah! I love the flavors of this recipe. And I love the Sprout! I have one too and am dreaming up a creative project to share soon. Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Sarah Menanix -
Oh yay! I can't wait to see what projects you come up with!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness -
What a great idea. I wish we did that on our wedding invites.
Maybe I'll get remarried. JOKES
But what I am not joking about is how many of these I wanna NOM! Pinned!
Sarah Menanix -
Can I come to your next wedding? ;) At least send me an invite so I can put a recipe on the RSVP. Aww - thank you!
Baby June -
Wow those are healthy? I'm all over it! :D