In the interest of finding healthy snacks, accompaniments for afternoon tea and options for nutrient-dense desserts I have been experimenting again with bliss balls. Trawling the internet I found a treasure chest of delicious concoctions and have melded a few together to create this little gem. With the addition of festive spices, I might even tag this one for Christmas as an alternative to the condensed milk and Marie biscuits which are the traditional ingredients for Christmas Rum Balls in my family. Look out Santa!
You might notice I've snuck in a carrot, which has delicious sweetness and helps to lift our vegie quota for the day to boot! There is also plenty of fibre to feed our good bacteria and make these treats nice and satisfying. The orange rind has a prominent flavour overall but the spices are not overpowering. If you do like spices you could easily double the spice ingredients (ginger and cinnamon powder) or add nutmeg and ground cloves for a stronger (and oh so festive) flavour. Maybe Christmas in July could feature some of these too 🙂
Ingredients
- ½ cup almond meal
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 2 Tbsp vanilla protein powder
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp flax meal
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut for rolling
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup dried apricots
- Zest and juice of 1 orange (lemon also works really well if you prefer lemon flavours!)
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
Method
- Heat the dried apricots with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan stirring continuously until the water has absorbed and the apricots are nice and plump. Stir in the tablespoon of coconut oil and Set aside.
- Place the dry ingredients, except the desiccated coconut into your food processor and mix well.
- Add in the rehydrated apricots and oil mixture along with the orange juice and blend until it forms a soft dough.
- Shape the mixture into a tablespoon or teaspoon-sized balls (depending on what size you like and the requirements of your consumer, if you're making them for kids you might like to make them smaller) and roll in the desiccated coconut until covered. Shredded coconut can also be used if you don't mind the look of the longer strands.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
To serve, take out of the fridge and bring to room temperature for full flavour. Enjoy!
