TikTok's 5-Ingredient Popcorn Truffles Are Packed With Healthy Ingredients

Trying to find a sweet, delicious, and healthy snack for when friends spontaneously come over can be tricky. You don't want to rush to the dessert store and risk buying something with lots of sugar and other preservatives in it, and you probably don't have time to whip up anything extravagant at home either. Luckily, TikTok trends offer a few decent suggestions. Enter popcorn truffles, the perfect treat for when you're in a rush. According to Luba Pavia (@cookvegetarian), this treat is "a fantastic way to use up that leftover popcorn and kids will go bonkers" over it. 

You only need five ingredients: popcorn, banana, Medjool dates, peanut butter (or any other healthy nut butter), and dark chocolate. Popcorn is a great source of whole-grain fiber that aids digestion and polyphenols that boost heart health. It's also low in calories. Bananas also contain fiber and helpful antioxidants, while being a good source of potassium. Potassium is essential for muscle and nerve health, and it also helps regulate fluid in your body. Medjool dates, native to Morocco, also pack a punch when it comes to potassium; in fact, by weight, they have more than bananas, per WebMD. They also have phytonutrients, plant compounds that aid immune and hormone health and prevent DNA damage. And of course, the wonders of peanut butter and dark chocolate are well known. The former is a good source of protein and healthy vitamins and minerals, while the latter has flavonols that aid heart health. 

Throw 3 cups of popcorn, 1 banana, 4 pitted Medjool dates, and a tablespoon of peanut butter into a blender and mix. "Pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs and sticks together," shared Pavia. 

Remove the mixture from the blender and place it in a bowl. Using your fingers, form small balls with the mixture. "Place the balls in the freezer for 15 minutes to help the chocolate coating set faster," added Pavia. Next, take the balls out of the fridge and coat them in melted dark chocolate. Pavia's popcorn truffles seem to have some popcorn sprinkled on top of the chocolate coating as well, so you can try doing this if you're an ardent fan of all things popcorn. According to the healthy recipe enthusiast, these treats can either be consumed immediately or kept in the fridge for up to a week. 

With that said, despite how healthy the popcorn truffle ingredients are, there are some things to keep in mind before trying out this recipe. After all, healthy desserts are about both moderation and the quality of ingredients. 

As with most "healthy" dessert recipes on TikTok, they are only as healthy as the ingredients that go into them, and with these popcorn truffles, you have to pay attention to the kind of popcorn you're using. "When prepared well, popcorn actually is a pretty good snack," shared Maya Vadiveloo, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island, with the American Heart Association.

Movie popcorn and some store-bought popcorn are loaded with butter, salt, and other preservatives that cancel out the benefits of eating this whole-grain food. Read the labels if you're purchasing popcorn at your local supermarket, and be mindful of the sodium and calorie content. If possible, air-pop your own popcorn for the recipe because this "gives you some control over the seasonings that you add afterward — how much salt, or how much oil or butter," per Vadiveloo. 

With the Medjool dates and dark chocolate, you're going to have to practice moderation. Medjool dates are high in calories, and dark chocolate brands can contain iron, copper, and zinc, which, if taken in excess of what your body is already producing and needs, can cause health issues (per University of California Health). There's also concern about calories and sugar when dark chocolate is consumed in large quantities. Buying the right kind of peanut butter is also important. Look at the sugar content, and ideally, use a brand that's organic.