Brain Boost Bites
Makes 16 and can easily be doubled
Why you and your body will love these
These no-bake bites hit the spot when you need a mid-afternoon energy boost – and they’ll give you a sustained boost, rather than a sugar spike followed by a slump!
Many bliss balls you see in cafés are based on dates and coconut oil, which can make them very high in sugar and unhealthy fat. Instead, these are based around a nut butter, providing plenty of protein, fibre and healthy fats – and then loaded with ingredients that are good for your gut and brain, like hemp seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, dark chocolate, and only a tiny bit of maple syrup for sweetness.
Have fun playing with this recipe and making it your own, substituting any nuts and seeds you like – protein powder makes a good addition too - as long as the total volume of dry ingredients remains the same.
What you’ll need
½ cup (20g) flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup (40g) walnuts
½ cup (55g) rolled oats – or use ground almonds to keep these gluten-free
⅓ cup (50g) 70% dark chocolate chips or block, finely chopped
¼ cup (30g) hemp seeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds
¼ teaspoon fine salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅔ cup (165g) almond butter – or use any other nut or seed butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon Australian extra virgin olive oil
What to do
Preheat your oven to 140°C. Place the walnuts and oats (or ground almonds) in separate rows on one large oven tray. Toast for 10 minutes, then add the coconut and toast for another 5 minutes, until they’re all light golden. Toasting adds loads of flavour and makes these ingredients easier to digest.
Tip the toasted walnuts, oats (or ground almonds) and coconut into a small food processor and roughly chop. Add to a medium bowl with the chopped chocolate, hemp and chia seeds, salt and cinnamon. Use a large spoon to mix well and evenly distribute the ingredients. (If you’re walnuts, oats and coconut are still warm, the chocolate will melt a little, which isn’t a bad thing!)
Add the nut butter, vanilla, maple syrup and olive oil. Stir the ingredients together with a large spoon, then get in there with your hands to work all the ingredients together.
Squeeze a bit of the mixture together to make sure it will hold in a ball shape. If it seems a bit dry, add a little more nut butter, olive oil, or a splash of water to help the mixture come together.
Scoop up a small amount of the mixture and press it into a mini ice cream scoop (4cm diameter is ideal) or a tablespoon. Press out onto a baking tray lined with compostable baking paper.
Place in the freezer until firm, and then store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer for up to a month. I like to store and eat them straight from the freezer. 😊