Chocolate Covered Pecan Pie Balls

I made these for a Thanksgiving Dinner we attended with extended family.  They were a great treat for me to bring for everyone to enjoy, and give myself an option without having to deal with the gluten in pie.  We were not particularly concerned with what we would be eating that day, as it was important for us not to make the host family go out of there way at all; though we did try to avoid the blatantly gluten dishes. I was able to eat turkey, sweet potatoes (I dug a bit underneath to stay away from the marshmallow, though I am sure there was sugar in there), green beans (not the casserole kind) and brussel sprouts with cashews. Everything was delicious, and I am so blessed we had family to spend the holidays will when we are so far from our real home!

Chocolate Covered Pecan Pie Balls
1/2 C Date Paste
1 C Pecans
1/2 C Coconut Oil- Melted
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 C Almond Flour
4 oz Dark Chocolate

Melt the coconut oil.  Chop the pecans till about pebble size, but not quite flour.

 Combine all the ingredients except the chocolate in a large bowl. (At this point you may want to taste and adjust it to your liking. This is when I added the bit of maple syrup because I knew they would be for a non-Paleo crowd, but if I were making it for the family I would have left it out.)

Using two spoons (the mixture will be sticky, so I wouldn't try to use your hands) spoon the mixture into Tbsp size balls onto a freezer safe dish. (They don't need to be perfectly round at this point.)

Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes. While they are in the freezer, melt the chocolaate over a double boiler or in the microwave.  Remove the balls from the freezer and roll them into more perfect balls, as they will now be less sticky.  Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and allow them to set up.

Serve and enjoy!
And this is what it looks like when the cutest 21 month old steals a square of the chocolate during the process ;)