a perfect little "pick me up"

Date and cacao balls…

These little balls remind me of my childhood. They're all the rage again and so they should be!…. A little mouthful of energy, packed with healthy natural ingredients. The trick is to not have too many in one go!

There are so many different recipes and combinations so one can experiment to your hearts content. A few months ago I was making a large batch for an event so decided I’d try out a number of different recipes and flavour combinations and compare… this one is my favourite so far and is from www.taste.com.au

Most recipes call for Medjool dates- they are large, soft and usually the most pricey variety. In this recipe you soak the dates, so the softness of the dates you need is neither here nor there. I have used a few more than required as they are of a different variety and smaller than their Medjool cousins.

Ingredients:

12 Medjool dates (or up to 18 other kind- today mine are Deglet Nour- sounds just as exotic)

1/3 cup of coconut oil- organic, raw virgin variety

1/3 cup of cacao powder- raw and organic is best

1 Tablespoon of chia seeds

1 cup of ground almonds

1/2 cup of desiccated coconut (and 1/3 cup for coating the balls at the end)

Method:

Soak the dates in a bowl of warm water for an hour or more. Remove the pips if not already pitted. Blend them, ideally in a food processor, together with the rest of the ingredients.

Put the mixture in a bowl and leave it to stand for 20 mins or more so that the chia seeds can swell- this helps to release the goodness inside of the seeds as their dry husks will keep their nutritional power locked in otherwise. The swollen chia also helps to bind the ingredients together.

Roll a spoonful of the mixture at a time in to little balls. This is a perfect job for smaller pairs of hands if there are any nearby and willing. Then gently roll the balls in the dried coconut, I have by chance stumbled upon my perfect rolling plate and method. Find a large, round serving platter or plate with rounded edges- then just turn and wiggle the plate around and the little balls do all the work of rolling and "putting on their coats" all by themselves.

Done and dusted…Voila!

Depending on the size of your balls (and how much of the mixture you taste along the way)… you can make up to 35 little balls. I’ve been told I’m a feeder, the smaller the cacao balls, the more people you can feed :)

You can keep these in the freezer… ready for an emergency energy boost or when a sweet treat is called for... apparently safely for about three months but chances are slim you'll have any left in a couple of weeks!