Chocolate bliss balls recipe
Chocolate bliss balls make a delicious and nutritious chocolate snack that you can enjoy at any time! They are super-easy to make – all you need is a good food processor or blender.
This recipe contains a lovely combination of nuts, seeds, sticky dates and sultanas, as well as the all-important chocolate! Packed with vitamins and minerals, your body will love this healthy treat. (Read more about the health benefits of chocolate in our article: chocolate, cacao and cocoa – whats the difference?).
We tend to toast the nuts before using, as this brings a stronger nuttier flavour to these bliss balls, however if you prefer to have a raw version, you can leave the nuts untoasted.
Preparation tip: The balls stick together better when you use dates that are really soft and squishy. So, if your dates are a little firm, pop them into a cup and cover with boiling water. Leave them to soak for 30 minutes, then drain well. Reserve the soaking water, in case you need to add water when blending.
Chocolate bliss balls recipe
The recipe makes 15 to 20 balls.
Ingredients
3/4 of a cup of toasted whole almonds
3/4 of a cup of toasted cashew nuts
2 tbsp flaxseeds
1/2 cup of dates (remove the stones first)
1/2 cup raisins or sultanas
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
2 heaped tbsp cacao powder
Optional: cocoa powder and/or desiccated coconut to roll on the outside
Method
Put the almonds, cashew nuts and flaxseeds into the food processor. Pulse for one to two minutes or until the nuts have broken down and they start to look a little like clumpy flour.
Add the dates, raisins / sultanas, coconut oil, desiccated coconut and cacao powder. Blend for 2 minutes or until a dough appears. You might need to stop the food processor a couple of times to scrape down the sides. If the mixture does not look like it is going to stick together, add a teaspoon of water – add it slowly, bit by bit as you should not need very much.
Take out a small handful of the nut-date mixture and roll it into a ball between your hands.
If you want to coat the outside, pour a little bit of chocolate powder or desiccated coconut onto a board. Gently roll the ball into the powder (or coconut), patting it into the outside.
Place them in the fridge until you are ready to eat them!
Plant-based vegan food at La Crisalida health and wellbeing retreat
What we eat is important for our health and wellbeing. All of the food served at La Crisalida Retreats is plant-based (vegan), with no added salt, made fresh on site with minimal processed products. This provides high quality vitamins and minerals for your body, supporting a healthy digestive system. More free plant-based recipes are available on this health and wellbeing blog.
I hope you enjoy these bliss balls – they are certainly popular at the retreat!
About the author
- Lisa is one of the founders of La Crisalida Retreats. She is an Epidemiologist, therapeutic hatha and yin yoga teacher and also teaches mindfulness meditation. Lisa has studied NLP and hypnosis, as well as nutrition (she designs the menus).
