Omega-3 Cocoa Balls, Rich in Fiber
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 again just me? 😉 ) That’s why it occurred to me: why not make a sweet treat we’ll love and that will also love us back?These healthy balls contain omega-3 fatty acids from flax and walnuts, plus they’re rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins from the dates and flax seeds! Try them, enjoy, thank me later. 🙂
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.
Tips and Info
You can store the balls in the fridge for a firmer texture, or at room temperature for a softer one. They keep for at least 5 days, probably longer.