Chocolately with a kick of heat, all, whole food, sugar-, gluten- and grain-free, raw & vegan
Let’s talk chocolate, shall we? Yes, I said it! Rich, flavourful and warming chocolate which warms our core down to every bone, muscle, and cell in your body. It’s wonderful, it’s tasteful and packed with amazing memories from our childhood. It’s a huge part of our food culture. No matter where you are in the world you will find someone loving chocolate, that’s for sure.
Although people tend to think of it as a treat, something for special occasions due to its ability to give you extra padding on your body. This is about to change.
What if I were to told you there’s a solution to your cravings. Something which will boost your energy level to the ceiling and beyond. It’s sweet, crunchy, mushy, pungent with a deep chocolate feeling and a heating twist on the end.
Spicy chocolate bliss balls with toasted hazelnut!
Back to the roots of chocolate history combining chocolate with some heat from the cayenne. Emerging it with our modern love for bliss balls and a ton of energy
These babies are perfect when you are in a rush or just as a snack, a dessert, at coffee break, during long flights and not to forget as an energy boost after a workout or even before one.
I ate one of these before biking to work the other day. As a result, I ended up breaking some records on the way.
No wonder why I went fast on the bike though. You see, these are packed with amazing nutrients such as antioxidants, omega 3, iron, fiber, protein, and healthy fat. Not to mention the ability to increase your blood flow from the beets and cayenne pepper. Adding the pinch of salt too helps you retain your water during needful times, such as workouts. Since they are 100% whole foods they also provide longer lasting energy.
The beets give them an even deeper and richer feeling to the chocolate and without tasting like beets. All of this and a ton more make them the perfect bliss balls for every chocolate lover out there. Not to forget they are all gluten-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free and grain-free. Everything without making you feel you’re eating bird’s food as an energy source again.
Ingredients and preparation method
Now let’s get down to how to make these babies. Extremely easy and fast to make you get about 16 x 20g (0.7oz) delightful bliss balls in one batch.
Ingredients
- 240g (1 3/4 C) toasted hazelnuts, without skin. Save 70g (1/2 C) for later
- One small beet 40g (1/4C), peeled and coarsely chopped
- 200g soft dates (1 1/4 C), pitted (if not soft, soak them for 20min then drain off all the water)
- 30 g (3tbsp) cacao powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4tsp salt (optional but gives a deeper taste to the chocolate)
- 1/8tsp real vanilla powder (seeds from 1/4 vanilla bean)
- 14g (2tbsp) ground flax seeds or 38g (2 tbsp) ground chia seeds
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
2) On a parchment paper, add the nuts and toast them in the oven for 10 minutes until the skin starts to crack. Let cool. Use a towel or your hands to rub the skin off the nuts (optional but the skin can be bitter).
3) In a food processor run the nuts until they are coarse to fine ground. Set aside and save 70g (1/2 C) out of the batch for later.
4) Pour the beets into the food processor and run until a smooth consistency.
5) Add the dates to the beets and run again until smooth.
6) Now is the time to add the rest of the ingredients (except the nuts). Mix well in the food processor. Adjust the taste if desired.
7) Pour in the nuts (except the 70g (1/2) keep this amount saved for later) and blend until all is incorporated.
8) Use a tablespoon to get the same size on all of the bites. Roll them in your hand, forming a ball. Pour the rest of the ground nuts on to a plate and roll the bliss balls on the plate of nuts to coat them evenly. Repeat until all of your bites are done.
Enjoyed straight away or even better, chilled after 1h in the fridge. These delicious bites hold up to a week in the fridge.
Bon appétit
