Ok, these chocolate-y, coconut-y treats are AMAZE-BALLS!! I've had a couple of "raw balls" recipes, but I've tweaked it a little because I don't like walnuts a lot and changed a couple of other things, so these are the ones I make at home. They work great as a snack or dessert! They are considered a "raw" food because there is NO cooking involved…so they are super easy to make and super healthy! Well, I still wouldn't recommend eating them all in one sitting…just as a "treat" ;)
Makes 20 Balls
- 1/2 cup pecans (if you want to use walnuts, go for it)
- 1/2 cup pitted unsweetened dates
- 1/2 cup raw Cacao or raw Carob powder
- 1/4 cup Grade B Maple syrup (if you can't find the healthier Grade B, find the healthiest one you can)
- 1/4 cup Raw Honey
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted Almond Butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup whole raw almonds
- 1 - 2 cups raw unsweetened shredded coconut
Place the pecans in a food processor (I use my Vitamix) and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the dates and pulse until well combined with the nuts. Add the cacao powder, syrup, honey, almond butter, vanilla extract and salt. Process until think and smooth. Add the almonds. I should look something like this…the mixture kind of "balls up" and looks like a brownie mix.
Pulse a few times until the almonds are combined, but still are chunky…for crunch!
Prepare two bowls, one with the mixture and one with the coconut. A shallow bowl works well for the coconut to roll the balls in the coconut to coat them well.
Form into golf-ball size balls by rolling between your palms. Roll the balls in coconut. Place in a container lined with wax paper and freeze until hardened. Depending how you like them…eat them straight from the freezer or transfer to the fridge for a little bit softer texture…that's what I like to do;)
After they are hardened you can transfer them to a ziplock so they don't take up too much space! ENJOY!