I have a sweet tooth. I love chocolate and cake and ice cream and candy. But….being gluten-free, most of that is off-limits to me. I have to be really careful about what sweets I eat because most of them contain wheat or a glutinous ingredient. Because of that and through a lot of effort on my part, my taste-buds have changed. Actually, being in Japan for a year in my early twenties helped as well. Their sweets are a lot less sugary and sweet than ours! They rely more on natural flavour than sweetness. In fact, the Japanese would warn me when I was in a store and about to buy a pastry or candy that it wouldn’t be as sweet as “at home”.
So, over the years, my taste-buds have gotten used to less and less sugar! I even love bitter flavours now. But….every so often I CRAVE sweets- gimme a bag of sugar and I’ll spoon it in my mouth kinda cravings. When that happens, I eat fruit or – my fave “candy”- Medjool dates! But only a couple (or a few, let’s be honest) or my tongue hurts. When I’m not shoving them in my mouth, I make these Chocolate Date Snack Balls.
These are great when I feel really hungry and light-headed between meals and I get really hungry (hangry, too!) or after a workout. Let me know if you make them and what you think.
Chocolate Date Snack Balls
Full of protein from the nuts and delicious from the cocoa, these are great to curb hunger and cravings on the quick.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1 tbsp raw honey (optional)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder or cacao powder
- 12 -15 Medjool dates
Instructions
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Measure out 1/2 cup almonds and pulse them in a high-speed blender or in a food processor until it resembles a coarse flour or small chunks. I used a food processor.
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Pit 12 Medjool dates and add to food processor or blender. Add 2 heaping tbsp. of cocoa or cacao powder, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1 tbsp. raw honey (if using) and blend together until sticky. If the dates are a bit older they will be a little dry and so you made need to add 2-3 more to make the mixture stick together. The same rule applies if some are a bit small. Add one at a time until the mixture sticks together properly.
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Take about a tbsp. of the mixture and roll into a ball, placing it on a parchment paper covered plate or cookie sheet. (I prefer Cookina parchment paper since it is reusable). Keep rolling until all of the mixture is used. No need to make them perfectly uniform or in neat little rows, as they aren't being baked! Just roll and put them on the sheet with a little bit of space between each one.
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Freeze for 1 hour and then store in fridge for up to a week. Great as a quick snack or after workout boost- it can survive out of the fridge for a few hours so travels in a bag well.
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Optional: If you want to jazz up your energy balls, you can roll them in shredded coconut before freezing OR you can roll them in unsweetened peanut butter after freezing and then top with chopped nuts, such as walnuts.
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