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This is the first post for a new collection of Bliss ball recipes.  Tasty yummy treats that are so good for your body and your soul!  Some are my own creations and others such as this one have their inspiration from other awesome cooks.

There are a number of versions of this recipe, a make at home take on those popular choccies found everywhere at this time of the year.  I particularly like this one from  Caroline O’Fee for it’s simplicity.  Dress these yummies up with chocolate or coconut, or just eat them straight from the bowl!

Take care to share because even though there is no refined sugar, there is still sugar in both the dates, as well as the maple syrup.

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Chocolate Hazelnut Balls

  • Servings: 8 or more
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

1 cup raw hazelnuts (toasted and skins rubbed off with a towel).
8 Medjool dates (softened in 1/4 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes)
40g cocoa or cacao powder
1 1/2 tsps pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp/15mls maple syrup (organic pure with no added sugar)
Optional coatings
75g 85% dark chocolate (organic)
1/4 cup dessicated coconut

• Preheat oven to 180c/350f.
• Place hazelnuts in oven dish and roast uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and place in a tea towel, roll up and rub the skins off.
• Place in a food processor.
• Soak dates in boiling water for 10 minutes to soften, drain, then chop roughly, discarding the pits and add to the food processor along with cocoa/cacao powder, vanilla extract and maple syrup.
• Process until the mix becomes paste like with some largish chunks of hazelnuts.
• Roll teaspoons into balls – easier to have your hands damp to do this.
• The balls are ready to eat but if you wish you can coat them.

Coconut & Chocolate Coating
• Place half of the balls in the coconut and roll to cover.
• To coat the other half of the balls in chocolate.
• Place the other half in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the freezer.
• Chunk your chocolate and in a microwave proof bowl melt on medium high for  around 45 seconds, stir, then if necessary continue to melt on medium high in 10  second bursts until melted.
• Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a double boiler – or a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water, taking care not to get any water splashed into the chocolate.
• With two forks dip each ball into the chocolate.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge – if they last long enough to get there!