Chocolate Coconut Bliss Balls

Two of my favourite things, chocolate and coconut! I usually make bliss balls with sunflower seeds or a combination of seeds and nuts - my walnut cookie dough energy bites were my top pick until this recipe came along. It's not that I don't still love those ones, it's just that these taste like healthy bounty bites. There is a recipe for raw bounty bars on the blog but those aren't an everyday thing, and energy balls are! Graham likes to have them to take to work and I'll eat a couple a day after biking or any kind of physical activity to avoid a blood pressure crash. 

The base of these is made with hemp hearts, so these are creamy bites with plenty of coconut and a rich chocolate flavour. The hemp just mixes right in with everything else and you don't even notice it, so it's more like a chocolate-coconut truffle. I'm digging it. I made another batch yesterday and we only have five left, hah. I'm using all my willpower not to eat another one before dinner - if you have a bit of a sweet tooth but you're trying to cut down on refined sugars, this is a great idea. Of course dates are pretty high in fruit sugar so don't go crazy, but it's still better than a bar of milk chocolate. The protein, fat, and fibre help with slowing down your absorption of the sugars so you shouldn't crash. We're both very active and (too) skinny so I feel good about eating higher calorie snacks like this in higher quantities, but I try to stick to one or two a day especially if I'm not going to be running around as much. They're a total lifesaver if you need a boost! 

A quick note about dates before I get to the recipe- I know almost every plant based blog out there tells you that only medjool dates will work, and that's a lie. I use cheap little seeded dates (deglet noor). They work just as well, and they're less than half the price. You can of course use medjool if you prefer. 

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Chocolate Coconut Bliss Balls
Makes ~16 small bites

80 grams / 1/2 cup hemp hearts
50 grams / 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
120 grams / 1/2 cup dates*
2 tablespoons cocoa powder or raw cacao
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional)
Tiny pinch salt
Additional coconut, for rolling

Place the hemp, coconut, dates, cocoa, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes, or until a dough that holds when pressed forms. Use your hands to form small balls, about the size of walnuts, and roll them* in the extra coconut. Store in the refrigerator up to one week or in the freezer indefinitely. 

Notes:
1. You may need to soak your dates if they're very hard. When I made these yesterday my dates were semi-dry and I didn't have time to soak them, and it still worked, but I had to add a tablespoon of oat milk to get it to come together.
2. I've also made these and not rolled them in more coconut. Still good, but not as fun!