Chocolate Oat and Almond Bliss Balls

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1/4 cup maca powder
1/2 cup organic cocoa powder
1 cup oat bran or almond meal
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup desiccated coconut + some for coating
3/4 cup almond butter (or other nut butter)
1/4 cup coconut oil/butter
1/4 cup honey

Summary

We have a lot of early morning starts here in the Fair Food Warehouse, so when the team is feeling a little worse for wear, we like to plate-up a friendly, tasty and natural pick-me-up. These high protein, chocolate oat and almond bliss balls contain a little maca powder for a happy & focussed buzz that takes us through to lunch. And the best part is, there’s no dairy (vegan friendly) and no cooking required (raw superfood)!

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (maca powder, oat bran/almond meal, rolled oats, desiccated coconut, cocoa powder).
2. Then add the almond butter, or nut butter of your choosing, honey and coconut oil.
3. With your hands, mix and combine the ingredients thoroughly.
4. If you’re finding the mixture is too dry or too moist, simply take a little taste to determine what to add. If it’s too dry and isn’t binding, consider adding more nut butter, coconut oil if the coconut aroma isn’t coming through enough, or honey if the mixture could use some extra sweetening (plus honey is super sticky).
5. If it’s too moist and just isn’t coming off your hands when you try to press the mixture into a ball, then consider adding more maca powder (if you only need a little), or oat bran/almond meal.
6. You know you have the right consistency when the mixture is sticky enough to bind into a ball, but not so sticky you can’t get the ball unstuck from the palm of your hand.
7. Once you’ve got the right consistency, roll the mixture into balls, rolling them one-by-one over a plate of desiccated coconut to coat them.
8. It’s really up to you how big or how small you make them, but once they’re all rolled pop them in the fridge to harden.
9. Serve with a nice cuppa for morning or afternoon tea; or with a herbal tea, as an after dinner treat.

Hints and Tips

We've been quite reserved with the amount of sweetener we put in, but you can always add more, according to your tastes. If you find the mixture is too moist when you add more honey, simply balance with oat bran or shredded coconut.

If you're cautious about the quantity of sugars in your diet, you might like to try sweetening with Stevia (liquid or powder), but be careful with your quantities, as Stevia is many times sweeter (without the calories) of all other natural sweeteners.

If you like additional flavour, also consider adding 1 tsp cinnamon or vanilla essence, depending on your tastes.