Date and Orange Balls
A jaffa twist on the classic bliss balls. Great for energy with training, or for taking to work for a snack.
Servings: 30 balls
Calories: 144kcal
Ingredients
- 400 g pitted dried dates
- 400 g almonds, macadamias or walnuts (or any combination of these)
- 5 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 juice of large orange
- 2 zest of large oranges
- desiccated coconut for coating
Instructions
- Place dates in a bowl and cover with 1 cup very hot water (almost boiling); leave to soak for 15 minutes.
- Blend nuts in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs, then pour into a mixing bowl.
- Drain dates thoroughly, checking there are no pips and reserving the soaking water. Place dates in the food processor, along with cocoa powder, orange juice and zest, then blend.
- Slowly add the ground nuts while the food processor is running, until you have added them all. If the mixture is too dry, add a little of the reserved date soaking water. If it is too wet, add a little desiccated coconut until the mixture becomes firm enough to roll into balls that hold their shape.
- Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls, then roll in coconut to coat. Place the balls on greaseproof paper and chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat (1-2 hours).
Notes
Tips
- Dutch cocoa gives the balls a delicious dark chocolatey taste
- You can also coat them in cocoa powder or chopped nuts.
- Make it gluten free:
Check cocoa is gluten free.