Yup, you read it right. These easy-peasy little balls of yum are so good that describing them as amazeballs will not suffice. They. Are. Actual. Amazeballs. (Sorry, Mum, another ‘weird non-word’ you won’t like. Google it. Just be glad I refrained from calling em’ ballz with a z.)
I am most certainly not the first to create these (bliss balls, date balls, fudge balls, vegan choc balls) fill in the blank balls, though this is my recipe, created from scratch. My original inspiration comes from Melissa Joulwan’s Sweet and Salty Fudge Bombs which featured heavily in my second Whole30, in flagrant disregard for the spirit of the program I wholeheartedly admit. See, in January 2011, my fit, young, healthy, non-smoking stepdad Chris was diagnosed, very unexpectedly, with Stage IV lung cancer. Andrew and I started our first Whole30 the next week (which actually became a Whole29, seduced by the siren song of movie theatre popcorn. So not worth it.) Amidst the next 9 months, while we cared for him at home and watched his health steadily deteriorate, Andrew and I hopped on and off the paleo bandwagon. We did a second Whole30 in July of that year, as the cancer spread to his brain and I amped up training for a half marathon, and these little suckers were the only thing that kept me remotely on course.
Eating clean(ish) that year definitely helped us cope with what was an effin’ tragic situation, giving us energy when we thought we had no more and fuelling us for the exhausting work of being with someone who is dying. It sucked. But we did it, and Chris passed away peacefully at home on September 17, 2011, with mum and I holding his hands. If you’ve never had the privilege of bearing witness to someone’s passing, let me tell you…it’s a game changer.
Sad memories aside (and many, many joyous ones too!), I love these treats. They’re cheap, quick, easy, portable and an excellent snack for endurance exercise. Pop em’ in a baggie in your fuel belt and off you go. Enjoy!
Bam Pow Paleo Orange Choc Amazeballs
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients (to make about 20, depending on size):
2 cups pitted dates
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup cocoa or cacao
1 tbl. vanilla
2 tbl orange juice
zest of one orange (save a bit for sprinkling. I mean, garnish.)
Method:
1) Put your almonds in the food processor and pulse them until they are a coarse, crumbly texture. You can make it quite fine if you prefer, but I like it a bit chunky.
2) Add the dates and turn the processor to high for a few minutes. If it starts to clump together, stop it and break it up a bit.
3) Once it’s started to soften (and it will warm up too) add the cocoa, orange juice, zest and vanilla and turn it on for a few more minutes.
4) Test it to see if it’s ready by grabbing a small clump and rolling it in your hands. If it sticks together, thumbs up! If not, add a few more dates and try again. Eat a little bit (restraint!!!) to see if it’s chocolate-y and orange-y enough for you.
5) Roll them into bite size balls and sprinkle with a bit of zest.
6) Hide them in your cupboard. I mean, share with all your friends.
Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, experiment. Add salt, dried fruit, change up your nuts. Go crazy! Share you winning variations on my FB page. Don’t be greedy!
