Coconut Date Balls

Vegan and gluten-free healthy snack. Base recipe is only dates and nuts rolled in coconut, there are many possible add-ins and toppings. Such as: Oats: You can add quick oats or rolled oats to the recipe in the blender. I would recommend 1 cup of oats, but add back some moisture with ¼ cup of nut butter to help it stick together. Seeds like Chia seeds, flax, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Recommend amount 2-3 tablespoons. Nuts or nut butters: Use roughly chopped nuts or nut butter. You’ll need to add some dry ingredients to off-set it, like oats, almond meal, protein powder or powdered peanut butter. For every ¼ cup of nut butter, use 1 cup of dry ingredients. Dried fruit: You can add raisins, apricots, coconut or cranberries. And if you are adding more dried fruit, it helps to balance out the sweetness with something salty or bland like more nuts, oat, almond meal or unsweetened protein powder. Spices: To add more flavor, I love throwing in cinnamon, or other warm spices like nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, turmeric or cloves. A lot of these spices have anti-inflammatory properties too so you’ll get a healthy dose of that in your energy bites! Sweet surprises: You can add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or even toffee pieces. TIPS MAKE COCONUT DATE BALLS -If the mixture is too dry and it’s not rolling into a ball easily, then add more sticky ingredients like dates, nut butters or honey/maple syrup. You can also add a couple tablespoons of water to help. If the mixture is too wet and gooey, then add oats, almond meal or protein powder. It helps to throw those dry ingredients in the food processor to help the mixture set well. Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 10-14 days in the fridge. Freezing Instructions: After rolling the balls, freeze them on a baking sheet until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer safe container or bag. You then simply need to thaw them in the fridge overnight.

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet