Chocolate Coconut Balls

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal (or other ground nuts)
2-3 Tbsp cacao powder (or cocoa)
75mL coconut oil (around 1/3 C or 4 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp maple syrup (or rice malt syrup)
½ C desiccated coconut
extra cacao and coconut for the outside

Summary

Nothing fancy here, no water baths or tempered chocolate – just a handful of pantry staples thrown in a bowl and rolled into some seriously delicious morsels.  Super simple, dairy and gluten free, and great for kids to make too.   Keep these out of the sun, though, as the coconut oil binding them together will soften.  But they shouldn’t wilt too much if the easter egg hunt is in a shady garden!  Adapted from these treats by Irena Macri – she also has additions of rum, raisins and orange zest, for an adult jaffa-style version.  Makes roughly 20 (little) balls.

Chocolate Coconut Balls

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and mix well together. Or blend using a food processor.

Roll firmly into small balls, and then in either additional cacao / cocoa powder or coconut flakes. Try both, or melt some dairy-free chocolate and dip them in that using a skewer!

Refrigerate until firm (about half an hour), and store them there or in a cool place until they are all gone.

Ps.  I sprinkled a tablespoon of chia and sesame seeds into one batch that seemed a bit oily (did I loose count on my way to 6 tbsp?), and they turned out great.  Just so you know 😉