• Place the dates in a medium bowl and pour hot water over them. Let sit about 5 minutes until softened, then drain. Remove pits and stems.
• Place dates in the bowl of a food processor, along with cocoa powder, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Secure lid and process until a completely smooth paste. Continue processing until mixture forms a ball. Scrape out of food processor with a spatula into a medium bowl.
• Scoop out rounded teaspoons of the truffle mixture and place balls, without rolling, on a parchment-lined plate. Repeat until all mixture has been divided. Keep a small bowl of warm water near your workstation. Dip your fingers in the water to help remove the mixture from the teaspoon.
• Place truffle balls in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes to firm up. Remove from the freezer then roll all pieces between your palms to create even spheres.

Coat the Truffles

Chocolate Dipped Truffles

• Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring well in between each round, until just melted and completely smooth.
• Place a truffle in the bowl with melted chocolate and turn around with a fork to completely coat. Lift out of the bowl with the fork and let excess fall off, scraping the bottom of the fork along the edge of the bowl to assist. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let set about 1 minute. Sprinkle with flake salt, chocolate jimmies, or any other topping you'd like.

Jimmies

• To coat in jimmies, dip truffle balls in a small bowl of water briefly, shaking off excess. Let the truffles sit on a plate for a couple of minutes to dry slightly and become tacky. Roll in a bowl of chocolate jimmies, lightly pressing the jimmies into the surface of the truffle to fully coat.

Cocoa Powder

• Right before serving, roll truffles in a bowl of dark cocoa powder, tossing to coat. Remove from the bowl with fingers or a fork, tapping to remove excess.