Everyone’s favorite Fudge Babies—one of my most popular recipes of all time—are finally making a comeback!!!
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!!!!!
Prepare to fall in love…
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 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, Fudge Babies are the perfect recipe, because they’re 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!
**The live broadcast will also run on the Chocolate Covered Katie Facebook Page, so be sure to follow if you want to watch me make the recipe with the team at USA Today.**
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.
Original Fudge Babies
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!
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!
A few more reader favorite recipes:
Have you tried any of these recipes yet?
Breakfast Oatmeal Cupcakes To Go
brandi says
13th October 2009 at 2:07 pmoh my goodness. They look amazing Katie!
Eliza says
13th October 2009 at 2:14 pmoh my goodness! these look A.M.A.Z.I.N.G ;)!!! I am totally making this fudge babies soon(love the name by the way so cute)
you are so creative lovie, and these look fantastic, i just had a clif chocolate walnut nectar bar, love those, but these look so fun to eat and better 🙂
xx lots of love
Eliza
peanutbutterfingers says
13th October 2009 at 2:19 pmthose look fantastic!!! i bet they’d be a HUGE hit at a family party or thanksgiving… plus, they’re actually a great healthy lil’ snack! thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe.
Abby says
13th October 2009 at 2:26 pmWow, Katie, those looks incredibly rich! I like how few ingredients there are AND that they are a lot cheaper than always buying lara’s and cliff’s! NICE WORK 🙂
Anonymous says
13th October 2009 at 2:27 pmOh, yum! Raw energy balls are so delicious. I have never tried Nectar Clif bars but your variation looks amazing. Mmm… I’ll have to make some for our trip this weekend.
Do you think these fit in the category of liquids and gels or should I be able to take them on as food? I never know with American airport security – they scare me.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
13th October 2009 at 2:36 pmHey Anonymous,
Ugh, airport security can be ridiculous, right? I mean, I know they have good intentions, but how on earth can, say, a jar of peanut butter be a dangerous item? Well… I guess it’s dangerous because it’s so easy to eat the whole jar and OD ;).
But to answer your question, I don’t see how anyone could classify the chocolate balls (or bars, if that’s how you choose to shape them) as liquids. They’re definitely solid.
Love,
Katie
The voracious Vegan says
13th October 2009 at 2:27 pmIntensely, super, amazing, decadent chocolate!?!?! YES PLEASE! I will definitely be making these!
jcd says
13th October 2009 at 2:29 pmOooh, my mouth is doing a happy dance just looking at those! I’ve never thought to add cocoa powder to raw energy balls before – you’re brilliant!
Whitney @ Lettuce Love says
13th October 2009 at 2:40 pmWow! I am making these this weekend. My life needs this chocolate wonderfulness. 🙂
jen molica says
13th October 2009 at 3:05 pmright on, katie. will do this weekend and i WILL, i swear WILL post a picture of me hugging a carb. do these count? i think so since the sweet=a carb.
xo jen
vegancowgirl says
13th October 2009 at 3:53 pmKatie! THanks for this recipe – I am SOOO making these this week. Love all of the ingredients. Also, wanted to say THANKS for the frozen grape idea…finally got around to doing it and LOVE the results.
Nora says
13th October 2009 at 3:59 pmI was gonna say, haha it’s unfortunately not okay to give homemade stuff to trick or treaters bc you look sketchy! the sad truth that giving homemade healthy snacks is seen as creepy while giving cruelty-laden crap full of corn syrup is friendly and normal. 🙁 they’d be great for a party though!
Gina says
13th October 2009 at 4:20 pmMmm..so simple and so perfect. Reminds me of the Love Force bars I found a few weeks ago (but they are uber expensive).
I don’t have any dates though (I eat them all if they’re around), so I’ll have to pick some up for these because I have been super craving chocolate lately!!
Bianca- Vegan Crunk says
13th October 2009 at 4:41 pmFirst of all, I can’t believe they’re discontinuing Nectar bars!!! That blows!
But at least you made this awesome recipe to take their place. I’m seriously making these next raw day … if I can wait that long!
*Andrea* says
13th October 2009 at 5:03 pmfudge babies…how cute!! they look superrrfabulous.
Krista says
13th October 2009 at 5:14 pmLooking good, Katie!!!
Melinda says
13th October 2009 at 5:31 pmSounds awesome. Nice work. Looks like you put a lot of effort into recreating and then perfecting the bar.
Jessica says
13th October 2009 at 2:05 pmOhmigosh these look amazing!
Daria @ Daria Can Cook says
13th October 2009 at 2:06 pmIt’s official: you’re a genius. 🙂
Maria says
13th October 2009 at 6:11 pmAck, Katie, I knew you would make something this awesome (as always!). Sounds amazing, simple, and chocolate covered for sure 😀 Aka perfecto!
maya says
13th October 2009 at 2:13 pmTHESE LOOK AMazing!!! i just had for snack like 10 minutes ago a clif nectar chocolate walnut bar, what a coincidence? 🙂 these look so good so easy to make!
mouth watering-ly chocolate-y-ness 😉 i am definatly making these asap! Cant wait! genus.
xo
maya
teenagedvegan says
13th October 2009 at 6:18 pmmmmMmmmMmm they look so good! It’s a shame that walnuts cost so much where I am 🙁
Marina says
13th October 2009 at 6:20 pmDamn it, I knew I forgot something 😀 I made those today, but with cashews and almonds, and a few cranberries. I forgot vanilla 🙂 And I made too little of it 🙁 But it’s delichttp://www.livelaugheat.com/2009/10/13/snacks-on-a-bed/#commentsious
Runningwriter says
13th October 2009 at 6:23 pmYUM! You are so clever. I just made these (using almonds though because I don’t have walnuts) and I didn’t even get to sit down with one because I kept sampling them as I rolled the balls. Delicious. And lucky for me my husband thinks nuts shouldn’t be mixed with chocolate so they’ll be all mine!!! 🙂
The Foodie Diaries says
13th October 2009 at 6:26 pmOk, I am not even a chocolate girl (seriously)–and I want these. Now.
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
13th October 2009 at 2:45 pmYes great minds do think alike!!!!!!!!!
We have both created and posted a really similar recipe….within 12 hours of each other 🙂
My donut holes are just flax, maple, cocoa, vanilla.
But I also make my “raw vegan brownies” which I have tagged, but I make them in a sheet rather than bars…anyway, those are dates, walnuts, cocoa, agave. Very similar to these of yours, just how I shape them is a sheet not a ball. Cuz sometimes I am too impatient to roll into balls and just use bars instead 🙂
Great recipe from one chocolate un-baker to another!
xoox
Kelly says
13th October 2009 at 7:02 pmOh my gosh, Katie, you’re killing me! These look AMAZING. I want to try the Extreme Chocoholic Version!
Jenny R. says
13th October 2009 at 7:13 pmyou’re so creative!!! it’s so smart that you made these b/c you save so much $$ on bars by doing that…like you said. I’m gonna try them with carob and see how it goes. mmm cravings now…
Kiersten says
13th October 2009 at 7:20 pmI bet those are amazing! They’re similar to the homemade chocolate Larabars I posted about today, but in ball-form. Adding ground coffee to them is a great idea, I know I would LOVE that.
Dione E. Zale says
7th December 2019 at 3:12 pmInstead of ground coffee, try espresso powder to get the same flavor boost.
Diana (Soap & Chocolate) says
13th October 2009 at 8:09 pmSounds divine! Under things to do with fudge babies, I especially like #1. I think that basically describes my life-food philosophy. 🙂
Marina says
13th October 2009 at 8:33 pmups, I just noticed a slip on my previous comment. Sorry about that
tabitha says
13th October 2009 at 8:43 pmgold star for katie today!
mmmmmmmmmm
easy and pretty healthy really
recipe is printed and i will get this job done
thanks missy!
Jenny says
13th October 2009 at 9:04 pmWHY DO I NOT HAVE DATES IN MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW?! bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I’m seriously considering heading to the grocery store just for the sake of making these. You’re killing me, smalls!
DJ says
13th October 2009 at 9:38 pmThese look amazing! I made raw fudge along similar lines recently and it was too good!
Vegyogini says
13th October 2009 at 6:14 pmI’d add fresh-grated ginger or finely-chopped crystallized ginger to these delicious babies!
Vanilla says
13th October 2009 at 6:15 pmOMG
I can’t wait to try these.
Do you think I can use almonds or cashews? I’m not a fan of walnuts…
Eddie says
18th January 2012 at 8:34 pmOMG these are delicious and my 6 year old loves them. I just made these twice this week. Once with walnut and once with almonds. I prefer the almonds. I mixed everything in my vitamix and then rolled into balls.
Joe Gannon says
20th October 2014 at 5:53 amKatie! Thank you so much for this recipe! These are so good! I’m glad I took the risk and made them. I bought a Cuisinart just for this. When my girlfriend asked me what I was doing in the kitchen I replied, “I’m just makin’ Babies!”
Though walnut is my favorite furniture making wood I much prefer almonds with my chocolate. Here in southern California it seems we have 2 types of dates: Medjool and Deglet Noor. I recently came upon a very good price on the DN dates at our local warehouse grocery which put them at half the price of the Medjool. However the DNs are too dry to use by themselves. My solution is to use half Medjool and half DN. If the Medjools are especially sticky I can use a smaller ratio of Medjool. All other amounts in the recipe remain the same. Other tips: you will need to run the processor for a bit- until the mix starts to ball up. Also, roll between your palms while the mix is still warm.
These are so awesome!
Jenna N says
13th October 2009 at 10:41 pmHey Katie,
I’ve never commented before but I’ve been lurking your site for awhile now and decided to finally comment when I saw these amazing looking chocolate recipe 😀 When I get all these ingrediants i will defintelytry this! Would another nut besides walnuts work you think?
Bekah says
13th October 2009 at 10:46 pmThese look so good! I love how cocoa makes everything more chocolatlely and delicious with almost zero added fat/calories. YUM! I will def have to try this recipe. Way to go again Miss Katie. 🙂
anonymous says
14th October 2009 at 12:11 amso cute and clever! 🙂
Shelby says
13th October 2009 at 8:47 pmHave I told you how much I love you? Because this pretty much confirms that you are the best friend EVER! HOLY YUM!
Katharina says
14th October 2009 at 12:57 amOMG! You are seriously.. I love you! Not just because of the awesome food you make lol but also the way you write and just.. these ideas that come out of you! Like the ideas of what to do with them. BASKETBALL NET! ohhh yeah. I think I will do the eating contest.. my friends had one with mashed potatoes not too long ago. But I think they will love this!
XO
Amanda says
14th October 2009 at 2:33 amoh Katie! You did it! You made your own bar!! **high fives** I can’t wait to try these!
Michelle says
14th October 2009 at 2:35 amAll hail thee. I tried, and failed, to recreate Nectars a little while ago. I used Gherideli chocolate instead of coco powder… BIG mistake. They were so strong, you could literally only take about one tiny bite. No good. I am throwing them out tonight, and tomorrow, will use your version. Thanks 🙂
Emily says
14th October 2009 at 2:38 amyes please to these fudge babies! definitely bookmarked this ccv creation! 🙂
gina (fitnessista) says
14th October 2009 at 2:51 amhey girl,
i MISSED YOU so! when i changed the bloggy, i added in google reader and put in your old address in there. i knew something was lacking in my life
those fudge babies look heavenly! i’ll be making them very soon
have a great night!
Devan Newman says
14th October 2009 at 3:51 amooh! i used to make these alll the time!!!
they are SO good!!!!! and so addicting!
Anna says
14th October 2009 at 4:03 amYowza those look good! I love my Jocolat/Larabars, but they are pricy on a college budget. Such a fantastic and easy alternative
Love the blog and your culinary ideas!
broccolihut says
14th October 2009 at 3:15 amHoly fudgy heaven! I have visions of these nestled into my morning oats…
[email protected] says
14th October 2009 at 4:38 amOh, Katie these look insanely delicious!!! I may never bake brownies again!
Neela Marijana says
14th October 2009 at 8:36 amonce again thsi looks fabulous! and i love how you included some measurements for us europena folks that get damn confused with the whole cups and oz business
Hani says
14th October 2009 at 1:52 pmI think I’d try them with a little cinnamon and maybe a pinch of chipotle chile powder added!
alexis says
14th October 2009 at 2:12 pmThese look ridiculously delicious. I want to try the coffee ones, or with chocolate/carob chips in them!
Radioactivegan says
14th October 2009 at 2:13 pmThe coconut variation sounds great 🙂 You can add coconut to anything and make it better!
*Andrea* says
14th October 2009 at 2:14 pmthose look great!!! for a variation i might try adding cinnamon? not sure if they need any though, they look mighty delicious as is 😉
Angela K. says
14th October 2009 at 2:15 pmThose look delicious! I’d like to try ones with coffee and chocolate chips! They’d make a nice afternoon pick-me-up 😛
Alex says
14th October 2009 at 2:15 pmi think the coffee variation sounds delicious and energizing!
Amanda says
14th October 2009 at 2:17 pmI definitely want to try the Extreme Chocoholic Version.
Allison R. says
14th October 2009 at 2:19 pmMMMM def the coconut! 🙂
Jessica says
14th October 2009 at 2:25 pmOMGosh I would definitely need the chocaholic version!!!
Nicole says
14th October 2009 at 2:25 pmWhen i read your blog yesterday i wrote down your recipe. I plan on making the plain fudgy ones! Please enter my name in your give-a-way! Good luck everyone!!
Diana (Soap & Chocolate) says
14th October 2009 at 2:26 pmWhen I win this giveaway 😉 you may make my fudge babies Wild Bar Mountain Mint flavor!