This time of year, sugar is everywhere! At the office, being sent as gifts, at every holiday meal and every holiday party. And I don’t know about you, but I really prefer not to eat all of that. At the same time, I don’t want to be left out! So, here are some of my all-time favorite, go-to dessert recipes that I’m happy to eat, and to share.

My own:

These first two goodies are recipes that I modified for my own. Simple, tasty and chocolate!

Chocolate Truffles

People are astonished to find out that these have no refined sugar. Yes, dates have sugar, but it’s a fruit sugar, without all the processing of refined white sugar.

2 cups raw walnuts
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
4 – 6 tablespoons raw organic cacao powder
Shredded coconut

Place walnuts into food processor fitted with S blade, and process until very finely ground and pasty.

Add dates and cacao powder and continue to process until well-combined.  Add more dates for a sweeter taste and process again.

Roll into small balls and place into a bowl of shredded coconut.  Make sure each ball gets coated in coconut and place on a plate. If you don’t want to spend the time to do that, you can press it out in a pan, sprinkle the coconut on top, and cut into bars.

Chocolate Balls

Sometimes, you just want some chocolate! This recipe makes a quick and easy indulgence, to eat at home or take to a party.

4 – 6 tablespoons raw organic cacao powder
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons coconut oil

Put the coconut oil in a bowl that’s big enough for all ingredients.
Make a little double boiler but putting water in the bottom of a pot, and then put the bowl with the coconut oil in that. Heat the water on the stove to melt the coconut oil.
When the coconut oil is melted, mix the honey in with it.
Stir it up good, then add the cocoa powder.
Taste it – add cacao powder or honey to taste.

Optional: Add walnuts or almonds

Form into balls and refrigerate until hard.

From the web:

These are some of my favorites that other people have created and shared online. I made the Paleo Chocolate Chip Bars on Thanksgiving to share a healthy(er) treat with my family! You can get Lilly’s stevia sweetened chocolate chips at the health food store and even at some grocery stores.

http://www.musclefitnessandnutrition.com/recipes/paleo/make-chocolate-chip-paleo-bars/

I got this recipe when I first started on this healthy living path. It’s been shared many times, now you can try it too! Use these as a snack or even, as the name says, for breakfast.

http://www.meghantelpner.com/blog/cookies-for-breakfast/

So, those are a few of my favorite sweet treats. What are some of yours?