Brain boost bites
Makes 16 and can easily be doubled
Why you and your body will love these
These no-bake bites hit the spot when you need a mid-afternoon energy boost – and they’ll give you a sustained boost, rather than a sugar spike followed by a slump!
Many bliss balls you see in cafés are based on dates and coconut oil, which can make them very high in sugar and unhealthy fat. Instead, these are based around a nut butter, providing plenty of protein, fibre and healthy fats – and then loaded with ingredients that are good for your gut and brain, like hemp seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, dark chocolate, and only a tiny bit of maple syrup for sweetness.
Have fun playing with this recipe and making it your own, substituting any nuts and seeds you like – protein powder makes a good addition too - as long as the total volume of dry ingredients remains the same.
What you’ll need
½ cup (20g) flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup (40g) walnuts
½ cup (55g) rolled oats
⅓ cup (50g) 70% dark chocolate chips or block, finely chopped
¼ cup (30g) hemp seeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds
¼ teaspoon fine salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅔ cup (165g) almond butter – or use any other nut or seed butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon Australian extra virgin olive oil
What to do
Preheat your oven to 140°C. Place the coconut, walnuts and oats on separate oven trays. Toast until lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes for the coconut and up to 15 minutes for the walnuts and oats. Toasting adds loads of flavour and makes these ingredients easier to digest.
Roughly chop the toasted coconut and walnuts - a small food processor makes this really easy. Add the chopped coconut and walnuts to a medium bowl with the oats, chopped chocolate, hemp and chia seeds, salt and cinnamon. Use a large spoon to mix well and evenly distribute the ingredients.
Add the nut butter, vanilla, maple syrup and olive oil. Stir the ingredients together with a large spoon, then get in there with your hands to work all the ingredients together. (If the coconut, walnuts and oats were still warm when you added the chocolate, then the chocolate will melt through the mixture, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!)
Squeeze a bit of the mixture together to make sure it will hold in a ball shape. If it seems a bit dry, add a little more nut butter, olive oil, or a splash of water to help the mixture come together.
Scoop up a small amount of the mixture and press it into a mini ice cream scoop or a tablespoon. Press out onto a baking tray lined with compostable baking paper.
Place in the freezer until firm, and then store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer for up to a month. I like to store and eat them straight from the freezer. 😊