Description
These Chocolate Bliss Balls make the perfect snack or dessert and are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and freezer friendly!
Ingredients
Scale
Balls
- 1-15 oz can (1.5 cups) black beans (see note 1)
- ⅔ cup medjool dates, pitted (see note 2)
- ⅓ cup almond butter (see note 3)
- ¾ cup rolled oats (certified GF if needed)
- ½ cup hemp seeds
- ½ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2-3 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup, optional
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
- ¼ tsp sea salt, optional
Coating, optional
- ½ - 1 cup finely shredded coconut
- Coloring as needed (I used turmeric and matcha powder)
Instructions
- TIP: Make sure your dates aren’t hard or dry before you start blending. If they are, soak them in hot water for 10-30 minutes, then drain the liquid. Make sure to remove the pits!
- Blend dates: So first, to your blender or food processor, add your pitted dates. Pulse until they are chopped up into a rough paste.
- Blend the rest: Now add the rest of your ingredients. Blend until a smooth paste (but don’t try and puree, some small chunks are OK).
- TIP: If you find the mixture hard to work with, throw it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. I didn’t need to do this, but it will work if you do.
- Prep toppings: Prep a wide, low bowl with the topping(s) you want to roll your chocolate bliss balls in. Want to do different toppings or colors? Prep a few bowls. I mixed a pinch of my coloring agent (turmeric or matcha powder in this case.
- Scoop: Use a medium cookie scoop or a spoon to create similar size balls of the mixture, rolling between your hands to create a sphere. Place on a wax paper lined (small) cookie sheet. I actually used the tray from my toaster oven. ;)
- Roll (optional): Roll each ball in shredded coconut or chopped nuts. Place back on the wax paper.
- Freeze: I recommend freezing these to set, should only take about 30 minutes, but you can refrigerate them for a few hours if you don’t have enough room in your freezer. If you freeze them, you can then transfer them into a freezer safe container for easier storage (and to get your cookie sheet back!).
- Enjoy: We like to eat these straight from the freezer, thawed for just a couple of minutes (if you can wait that long). Great as an energy snack throughout the day, during exercise, or as an easy dessert!
- Store: These bites will last up to 1 week in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer, or ~2-3 days in my house.
Notes
- Note 1: For beans, you can use whatever beans you like (you really can’t taste them). I prefer low sodium black beans for this recipe. If you do not want to use beans, that’s fine, but you’ll need more of the other ingredients to make the same size batch (or just make a smaller batch!).
- Note 2: Medjool dates sweeten this recipe naturally and also act as a glue. Don’t want to use dates? That’s fine! Leave them out and add a liquid sweetener like maple syrup or agave.
- Note 3: The almond butter kind of acts like a sticky glue for this recipe, so I wouldn’t recommend omitting it entirely. You could swap it out for any kind of nut or seed butter. Try peanut butter for chocolate peanut butter balls (mmhmm) or swap it for sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Soy-Free, Can be Nut-Free, Can be Sugar-Free, Vegan Bliss Balls, Chocolate Bliss Balls