Why Bliss Balls Are Awesome (+ New Recipe)

There are so many reasons to love these fat/energy/bliss ball snacks, no matter how you call them. I started to make my own bliss balls because:

1. I can control the ingredients.

2. It is easy to avoid excess plastic and plastic/foil blend packaging (bulk ingredients, wrapper-free snack).

3. I love making my own food from primary ingredients.

4. They are super satisfying, satiating, and delicious.

I am no recipe developer, but I do love to experiment with recipes - from others and my own. The first ball recipe I ever tried was Lee from America's Coconut Fat Balls. They were delicious, but I wanted to cut some of the fat with carbohydrates and also include grains to compliment the protein profile of the nuts and seeds. I found The Conscious Dietitian's Protein Tahini Hemp Energy Balls which have a bit more balance and some of my favorite ingredients (oats, hemp, and honey). I've been making regular batches of those tahini hemp balls, but wanted to add a new flavor to the rotation to pick from during the week.

See below for my newest recipe: Cardamom Brazil Nut Bliss Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup Brazil nuts

1 T water

6 black mission figs

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup shredded coconut (+ additional ½ cup for rolling)

¼ cup chia seeds

½ t ground cardamom (+additional ¼ t for rolling)

½ t vanilla extract

½ t almond extract

¼ cup very warm water

Salt

Directions:

1. Mix ½ cup shredded coconut and ¼ t cardamom in a small bowl. Set aside (this will be used later for rolling).

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3. Add whole Brazil nuts and 1 T water to a food processor and process for about 5 minutes, intermittently scrapping down the sides, until smooth.

4. Add the figs to the processor and process with the Brazil nuts until well incorporated.

5. Add the rest of the ingredients, but for the water and rolling ingredients, into the food processor until an even, grainy texture is achieved.

6. Add the ¼ warm water to the processor (helps to glue everything together for easier rolling), process to distribute evenly.

7. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the processed mixture into your hand, press, and gently roll. Roll formed ball in the spiced coconut flakes and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the mixture has been rolled - about 20 balls.

8. Place the full cookie sheet flat in the freezer for about an hour until the balls are frozen. Stack the balls in an airtight container and store in the freezer, taking them out as needed.

9. I pack two of these snack balls for work everyday, along with a banana, for a late afternoon snack to fuel up before working out and to avoid refined carbohydrate snacks.

I'd love to hear about how the recipe turned out for you!

#bulk #plasticfree #recipe #plantbased #snack