Raw Spice Balls

Posted by Hiba on Jan 29, 2014 in Recipes & Food

When you are craving something sweet, dates are a great option. As a dried fruit, the sugar in dates is completely natural and also contains minerals and vitamins such as iron, potassium, calcium, manganese, copper and dietary fiber.

But did you know that dates are perfect for making healthier sweet treats? They add both sweetness and consistency and are very versatile. Make sure you have a good food processor (S-blade) to grind dates into a paste though as they can get stuck in blenders.

Always buy the best quality you can find, preferably the Medjool variety. They are bigger and softer than other dates and work very well as a paste.

These Raw Spice Balls are a great snack or dessert or for when you need a quick energy boost. They are extremely versatile, allowing you to use any spice or spice mix you want. They are also very simple to make, taking only a few minutes to blend and a few more to shape.

Ingredients

1 cup whole hazelnuts or almonds OR 2 cups ground hazelnuts or almonds

1 cup pitted Medjool dates

1-3 tsp spices (to taste): Cinnamon only, gingerbread spice mix, chai spice mix, cacao powder or any other spice you want

a dash of sea salt

Method

Grind the hazelnuts or almonds in a food processor. You can also buy them already ground but I find doing it myself adds more flavor.

With the food processor running on medium, drop in the dates one by one through the feed tube.

Add the spices and sea salt and process until the consistency is uniform and crumbly. You should be able to easily form a ball between your hands. If this is not the case, add more dates

Roll into balls and store in the fridge until you serve/eat them.

For a more sophisticated twist, you can roll the balls in shredded coconut or toasted sesame seeds and serve them truffle style (as in the photo below).