Mmm, balls.
It seems that the darling snack of the vegan/yoga/healthy/holistic world are these little round packages that are often raw, made with nuts to give a punch of protein, perhaps some oats for fibre, maybe dried fruit for sweetness, and chocolate to satisfy all females. As I become slightly stricken with panic if I’m anywhere for more than three hours without a snack in my bag (hangry, anyone?), and I’ve had mild to mediocre luck with making homemade granola bars, it seemed like these spheres might be the answer to all my hunger attack problems.
Luckily, my friend gave me her old Magic Bullet, so its maiden voyage in my home was to blend some peanuts (with the skin on, which apparently has more health benefits, e.g. antibacterial, antioxidants) to produce the base mass with which the balls would materialize therefrom. From there it was simple mixing of ingredients, and then shaping! The warmth of your hands will help the mixture stick together. Pop the balls in the fridge to help them set, and there they are, waiting for you to snort them up. They are incredibly easy to make, there are loads of variations you can do on flavour, and most importantly, they are highly addictive. Moreover, you can feel pretty smug about making your own high-protein snacks as you sashay past all those overpriced protein bars at the supermarket, with peanut on your breath and cocoa powder on your lips.
Balls of Energy/Energy Balls
Makes 16-18 1” diameter balls
1 cup peanuts, whole (with skins on, smartypants)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup quick oats
1 tbsp ground flax
1 tbsp flax seeds
small handful dried cranberries
cocoa powder (for dusting)
Grind the peanuts in your motorized blitzer of choice until they resemble a slightly sticky mealy texture. Empty into a bowl. Add the quick oats and dried cranberries to the blitzer and give it a few pulses, just to reduce the particle size. Mix everything except the cocoa powder with a spatula, and then get in there with your hands and shape into lovely little balls. Roll in cocoa powder if you like. Eat right away or refrigerate for later.
Next time I will try adding coconut flakes…or maybe dried cherries, chocolate chips, matcha powder, almonds, cashews, hemp seeds, sesame seeds…oh boy oh boy!