Apricot + Coconut Balls: Recipe

It was in the middle of a hen weekend when my bestie handed me a jar of protein balls before breakfast. She'd even stuck a sparkler in there to make it hen appropriate.

I munched away and HELLO, ENERGY LEVELS! Suddenly last night's limitless prosecco drinking, Taylor Swift dance routining, inappropriate photoboothing and general lack of sleeping were long forgotten.

In short, I was ready to get back on it and I've been looking into recipes for the little balls of goodness ever since.




I had a flick through Madeleine Shaw's Get the Glow first. She has four recipes for raw Superfood Balls, but most of them use a date and nut base. My Raw Brownie Recipe is similar and I wanted to try something different, though I will definitely be trying out the Raw Chocolate Orange Oat Balls recipe from her website soon.

Then I took a look at Deliciously Ella. Again she uses a date base for her Energy Bites.

Next stop, the Hemsley + Hemsley cook book and as usual, these girls came up with the goods. Their recipes for Tahini Bliss Balls use creamed coconut and tahini rather than the usual dates and nuts, so I made up a a batch of Coconut Bliss Balls using desiccated coconut rather than cacao nibs to coat.

I found the tahini (sesame seed paste) flavour a bit strong. I'd say that if you're a real peanut butter fan, you'll love their recipe straight up but for me, it was too nutty. I also wanted to try something cacao-free to make a more evening-friendly snack. (Cacao contains caffeine and something beginning with t which has a similar, longer lasting effect).

So I've made a few tweaks, toning down the tahini and adding in chopped apricots and linseeds to make a sweeter treat packed full of fibre.

Apricot and Coconut Balls...

Ingredients:
200g bar creamed coconut
1 tbsp light tahini
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp flaxseed
100g dried apricots, chopped
desiccated coconut

To make:
Check your creamed coconut. Is it squidgy? This will depend on the temps. If not, pop the packet in some warm water until it's soft all the way through.
Pour the coconut into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, except the desiccated coconut.
Mix everything together and check the mixture. If it's runny pop it in the fridge to cool a little, you need to be able to mould it into shapes with your hand.
When ready, take a spoonful of mixture and roll into a ball. Repeat. This recipe should make 10 - 12 balls.
Tip some desiccated coconut onto a plate and roll each ball around in it, to coat.

You're done! Store them in the fridge and they'll keep for two weeks.

These guys make a dreamy evening snack. They are great for a post-workout energy boost and perfect for on the go, too. Here's why...

Creamed coconut, made from coconut flesh, is high in fibre, contains skin-boosting selenium and research suggests it can help to protect the body from infections.

Tahini is a rich source of B vitamins, good for brain function, and protein.

Linseeds are full of healthy fats and believed to reduce the risk of nasties like heart disease.

Maple syrup, a natural sweetener, is better for you than refined sugar because it contains antioxidants and nutrients like zinc. It's still a sugar though, so don't be drinking shots of it. (Though... YUM!)

Dried apricots These guys are packed with minerals and aid digestion.