Chocolate again (well, cocoa) recipe! I have a stuffed-mushroom recipe ready, I swear I’ll post it soon, but somehow these omega-3 cocoa balls got priority ;).
Everyone (or is it just me?) loves chocolate sweets. It’s holiday season, and like it or not, we usually overdo it with chocolate (or is that also just me? 😉 ) So I thought: why not make a treat we’ll love and one that will love us back? True, most of my sweet recipes on this blog are like that, but I wanted to go one step further.
I remember that some time ago I watched a video by a doctor (I think it was Dr. Liu @Healthyimmunedoc) on YouTube about omega-3 fatty acids, and how she mentioned that if people consumed more of these fats, everyone would be much healthier. So I thought: imagine chocolate that, instead of saturated fats, contains these healthy fats! Unfortunately, omega-3 fatty acids don’t become solid at room or low temperature (unlike saturated ones), so a real chocolate bar is off the table, but that’s where these omega-3 cocoa balls come to the rescue!
The omega-3 in this recipe comes from flax seeds, and if you put a piece of walnut in the center of each ball, you get an extra dose of these healthy fats. Hazelnuts are also a great option in terms of flavor and healthy fats. And you know what else these little balls contain that regular chocolate doesn’t? Fiber! Not to mention all the minerals and vitamins you get from dates compared to plain sugar. Try them, enjoy, thank me later. 🙂
Omega-3 Cocoa Balls, Rich in Fiber
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Coffee Grinder optional
Ingredients
- 250 g dates pitted
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 20 g ground flax seeds
- 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
- 26 pieces walnuts or hazelnuts for filling
For decoration (optional):
- 20 g ground hazelnuts
- 5 g cocoa powder
Instructions
For the balls:
- Remove the pits from the dates and chop them into smaller pieces.
- Grind the flax seeds in a coffee grinder (or buy them pre-ground).
- Place the dates, vanilla powder, cocoa, and ground flax seeds into a food processor.
- Pulse at first until the ingredients begin to stick together. Then blend until you get a sticky mixture (it usually clumps into one big mass).
- When the mixture is evenly blended and combined, it’s best to leave it in the fridge for a bit (at least 30 minutes), because it becomes less sticky and easier to shape into balls. If you’re in a hurry, skip this step, it will still be OK.
- Prepare the walnuts by breaking them into smaller pieces (hazelnut-sized). If using hazelnuts, leave them whole.
- Take a walnut piece or hazelnut and wrap it with some of the cocoa-flax-date mixture, shaping it into a ball so that the nut is in the center. Repeat until all the mixture is used. I got 26 small balls.
For decoration (optional):
- Mix the ground hazelnuts and cocoa and lightly roll each ball in the mixture before placing them on a plate or in a bowl.
- As another option, you can roll the finished balls in ground walnuts, ground hazelnuts, shredded coconut, or cocoa.