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Bliss Balls

I am a big fan of Janella Purcell and her wholefood cooking. I have been making her bliss balls for years and this recipe can be found in her latest cookbook 'Janella's Super Natural Foods'. You can mix up the ingredients depending on what you have in your cupboard. I usually have almonds and dried apricots in my version. No need to toast the nuts but it's quick to dry toast in a fry pan.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup puffed millet, amaranth, quinoa or brown rice
  • 1/3 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup toasted unsalted chopped nuts (such as almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts)
  • 1 cup mixed seeds (such as sunflower, pepitas, sesame, chia, hemp or flaxseed meal)
  • 1 cup flaked, shredded or desiccated coconut
  • 1 cup chopped dried fruit (such as apricots, apples, peaches, pears, goji berries)
  • 3/4 - 1 cup hulled tahini
  • 3/4 - 1 cup rice malt syrup
  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds, raw cacao powder and/or desiccated coconut, for rolling

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a food processor and blitz until still a bit chunky. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add the dried fruit to the food processor and blitz, keeping the texture a bit chunky. Add to the dry ingredients in the bowl, then mix together. Return this mixture to the food processor (you may have to do this in batches) and, while the motor is running, gradually pour in the tahini and rice syrup and process until a shiny ball forms. Taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness and the amount of the tahini to your liking.

3. Using wet hands and working with 1 tablespoon of mixture at a time, roll into balls, then coat in either the sesame and/or hemp seeds, cacao powder and/or coconut.

4. Store the balls in an airtight container. They will last for months in the fridge, which keeps them fresher, but they're just as happy in the pantry.

** For variation add:

1/3 cup raw cacao powder or cacao nibs to dry ingredients.

2 tbsp coconut, chia or flaxseed oil with the tahini

Use raw honey or coconut nectar instead of rice syrup.