Superfoodies energy balls

I’ve long been a lover for an energy ball, bliss ball, protein ball…. what ever you want to call them. They’re so incredibly easy and you can jam pack them full of goodness! The kids love them, they look deliciously pretty and they last in the fridge.

In the past, I’ve most often used almond or a nut meal as a base however since my eldest daughter began school I’ve had to adapt slightly with the vigilance of nut allergies in children. Having said that I still want to pack in as much nutrients as possible into this tiny snack.

I’ve upped my use of seeds to cater for the loss of the good fats in the nut meal and added things like activated buckwheat for crunch and to be honest I think these are the BEST and healthiest energy balls I’ve made!

Recipe makes 18 balls

Prep time: Around 20 minutes plus chilling time.

Ingredients:

250g pitted dates

60ml coconut oil - unrefined and organic

70g ground seeds - I used pepitas, sunflower, linseed

120g desiccated coconut organic, plus extra to coat

50g buckinis* Activated buckwheat

20g hemp seeds*

2 Tsp raw cacao powder

2 tsp super antioxidant powder* plus extra for coating.

Method

*Submerge the dates in a bowl of boiling water and soak for around 5 minutes until softened slightly, then drain.

*If you have a nutri-bullet this is the best piece of equipment to grind those seeds, otherwise any blender should do, but make sure not to blend too much or you will end up with a seed butter, but you do want them nice and fine.

*In a food processor add the dates and coconut oil and blend until starting to resemble a thick paste.

*Add in the ground seeds, buckinis, cacao, antioxidant powder and hemp and pulse to incorporate nice and evenly. The mixture should feel mouldable, not crumbly and not too wet. If it’s too dry, add a tiny bit more oil or if it’s too wet you can add a little extra coconut.

*On a baking tray combine a few tablespoons of coconut with a big chefs pinch of the antioxidant powder, rub together with your finger tip to help the coconut turn a pretty pink.

*Take slightly smaller than golf ball size portions and roll into tight balls, (wet hands is helpful here) placing them into the pink coconut mixture and rolling the tray around to evenly coat the balls. Repeat this process until all the balls are evenly coated and chill on the tray in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight covered.

*Once firm I like to store them in a sealed glass jar in the fridge and they can happily last in there for a couple of weeks. I usually tip all that excess coconut into the jar as well for a later use.

*When packing for school, remember to pack in a sustainable container in a cooler bag as these are best served cold.

*Buckinis are activated buckwheat, its not related to wheat or even a grain, it’s a nutritious seed packed with fibre and protein, they add delicious crunch and texture.

*Hemp are a small seed packed full of good fats and amino acids. They’re also high in iron and zinc which is needed for healthy immunity. They also contain magnesium, potassium Vitamin E and a truck load of other essential nutrients. These are power house seeds!

*I use Stardust Longevity powder which is an organic nutrient powder made by mindfulfoods.com.au This one contains pomegranite, strawberry, acai, blueberry and beetroot. My local IGA has a great health isle and I found it there, though you can probably find it in many health food stores or online. There are also many similar alternatives for nutrient powders around if you can’t find this brand. It adds amazing flavour and beautiful colour to food like this and are loaded with antioxidants for healthy cell regeneration.