Macadamia & Lemon Bliss Balls

Macadamia and Lemon Balls
I am hooked on bliss balls. They are quick to make, no baking is required, they store well in the fridge or freezer, and are jam packed with good stuff.
And (perhaps best of all) they are a great substitute for cake or sweet stuff when sugar cravings hit.

I was inspired to create this flavour combination when I tasted a commercial brand of a raw treat with similar ingredients. I made a mental note of the main ingredients and re-created it at home. You could also press this mixture into a slice tin and cut into squares or mini bars of you feel like a change from balls.

Medjool dates are the best choice for this recipe, as they are more moist, which helps the mixture bind. If you are using dried dates you may need to add a couple of extra, or use a teaspoon of coconut oil to help the mixture stick together. Test a small bit between your fingers to judge the stickiness before adding.

Macadamia & Lemon Bliss Balls
 
Print
Prep Time
Total Time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Balls and Raw Treats
Serves: 20-25 balls
Ingredients
  • 70g Medjool dates (seeds removed)
  • 70g desiccated coconut
  • 110g Macadamia nuts
  • Rind of one small lemon
  • Extra coconut for rolling.
Method
  1. Peel the lemon and place rind into the TM mixer bowl. Grate 15-20 seconds, speed 8.
  2. Scrape sides down and add all other ingredients. Mix for 10 seconds, speed 9.
  3. Scrape sides down again and mix for a further 10 seconds and speed 9.
  4. Roll teaspoonfuls into balls and roll in extra coconut to serve.
  5. Keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, also suitable to freeze.

If you would like to try some other bliss ball recipes I have some others on the blog here.

 

Date & Oat Balls

Date&OatBallsI have quite a few fruit and nut ball recipes on the blog. They are a great snack to have in the fridge and a good alternative to cake or biscuits when I am craving something a bit sweet. I have had a few attempts at this recipe, but think I have finally nailed it. The original version of this had nuts included, but I have replaced them with sunflower seeds so that my kids can take them to school (our school has a nut-free policy but seeds are permitted. Check with your own school to clarify their policy on seeds).  The addition of oats means that they are not as sweet as some of my other recipes, and it also bulks the recipe out to a large quantity, making these ones cheaper to make.

You can use cocoa instead of cacao – but cacao definitely gives a better taste.

My other ball recipes are here:
Date, Coconut & Chia Balls
Fruit Balls (nut free)
Power Balls

Date & Oat Balls
 
Print
Prep Time
Total Time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Balls and Raw Treats
Serves: 24-35
Ingredients
  • 110g rolled oats
  • 35g sunflower seeds
  • 35g chia seeds
  • 35g shredded coconut
  • 400g pitted dates (dried or medjool)
  • 1 Tbsp cacao
  • 2 tsp vanilla (paste, essence or extract)
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 2-3 Tbsp cold water
Method
  1. Place all ingredients except water into the Tmx bowl and process speed 7, 20 seconds.
  2. Open lid, scrape sides down, add water if needed (to help bind and moisten the mix) and process for a further 20 seconds, slowly increasing speed from 1-9. Your machine will be working at close to full capacity so gently increase speed and stop and scrape sides down if needed.
  3. Open lid and check mixture. It should look a bit like coarse sand clump together easily.
  4. Depending on whether you have used medjool or dried dates you may need to process for a further 10-15 seconds. Add more water if required.
  5. Wet your hands and roll into balls. This makes a lot of balls, 24 large ones or 35+ smaller ones.

 

Fruit Balls

FruitBalls copyThese are great for lunchboxes as they have no nuts. They are a bit sweeter than the Power Balls and Date Balls as they have more dried fruit. They don’t last long in my house!  I make small balls and get between 22-25.

Fruit Balls
 
Print
Prep Time
Total Time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Balls and Raw Treats
Serves: Approx 22 balls
Ingredients
  • 100 dates (I use Medjool but dried will work just as well. Remember to remove seeds if using Medjool)
  • 60g dried apricots
  • 30g dried apple slices
  • 90g desiccated coconut
  • Extra coconut for rolling
Method
  1. Combine all ingredients in Tmx bowl and mix at speed 7, 20 seconds.
  2. Remove lid and scrape sides of bowl down, then process for a further 20 seconds at speed 8-9.
  3. Shape teaspoon full amounts into balls and roll in coconut.
  4. Store covered in fridge

 

3-Ingredient Choc Balls

ChocBallsMy daughter made these at school once and bought the recipe home to share. Super easy for the kids to help make or do on their own. You can add rum or orange liqueur to the mix if you to create more traditional rum balls – or just leave them plain for a kid friendly option.
You can also ‘hide’ yummy things inside by forming the mix into a ball around treats such as
• a whole hazelnut
• a Rolo chocolate
• half a jersey caramel
• half a marshmallow
• a piece of glacé ginger or a glacé cherry
Just don’t put anything too hard in there or they could become a tooth breaker!

3-Ingredient Choc Balls
 
Print
Prep Time
Total Time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sweet Snacks
Serves: 30-40 balls
Ingredients
  • 1 packet milk arrowroot biscuits
  • 1 tin sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 Tbsp of cocoa or cacao (I use cacao)
  • Coconut or chocolate sprinkles for rolling
Method
  1. Place biscuits into Tmx and process into fine crumbs, speed 5, 5 seconds.
  2. Add condensed milk and cocoa and mix speed 5, 10 seconds until combined.
  3. Roll mixture into balls and coat in chocolate sprinkles or coconut. Store in the fridge. Easy Peasy!

 

Date, Chia and Coconut Balls

DateBalls copyThese were inspired by some shop bought date balls that my daughter loves. She helped me to re-create the same flavour at home with this recipe. These are really easy and great for lunchboxes with some vegetable sticks.

Date Balls
 
Print
Prep Time
Total Time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sweet Snacks
Serves: Approx 22 balls
Ingredients
  • 10 Medjool dates seeds removed (or 180g dried dates)
  • 90g desiccated coconut
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • Extra coconut for rolling
Method
  1. Add dates, coconut and chia seeds in to Tmx bowl and process speed 7, 30 seconds.
  2. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and then process again a speed 9 for a further 10 seconds.
  3. Shape teaspoon full amounts into balls and roll in the extra coconut.
  4. Store sealed in the fridge.
Notes
If using all dried dates (not medjool) you may need to slightly decrease the quantity of coconut.

 

Power Balls

PowerBalls copyOne Power Ball and I’m outta here! Not really – this is just what I call these tasty (and healthy) little raw food snacks.
There are lots of recipe versions of these around. This is one that I have created to suit our tastes. They are great for the kids to snack on but are not lunchbox friendly (due to the nuts). But I do have some nut free versions also that you can find here, here and here.

Power Balls
 
Print
Prep Time
Total Time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sweet Snacks
Serves: 22 small balls
Ingredients
  • 130g raw cashews (or you can use almonds if you prefer - but I love the creamy taste of the cashews!)
  • 4-6 dates
  • 4-6 prunes (if you are not a fan of prunes just use all dates)
  • 100g (about ½ cup) dried apricots
  • 1 Tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
Method
  1. Place the nuts in the Tmx bowl and grind speed 6, 5 seconds. Be careful not to turn them into powder!
  2. Add dried fruit and coconut and chop speed 6, 15 seconds.
  3. Add chia and blend speed 6, 5 seconds. The mixture will look crumbly but will hold when pressed together - check with a small piece. If it is not sticking then process for a bit longer or add a couple more dates.
  4. Scoop tablespoons of mixture and roll into balls. You can coat in more coconut if you like but I like these ones without. Store in sealed container in the fridge.