These double chocolate bliss balls are perfect for a quick snack or afternoon pick me up. So, what is a bliss ball? I switch between calling them a bliss ball, an energy ball and a snack ball. They’re all of those really. A little blissful mouthful of energy, great for a snack. They’re a really good option when you’re on the go and need a little pick me up. When my husband and I were filming wedding videos we used to always bring bliss balls as they’re easy to transport and quick to eat while providing some energy along with essential minerals, vitamins and fibre. I also used to bring them with me to work for an afternoon snack just when I’d start feeling tired and sluggish around 3pm.
Tom and Luke has been my go to brand for a while, but I thought it was time to have a go at making my own.
As with most store bought bliss balls mine are made with natural ingredients and are refined sugar free with the sweetness coming from date paste. I used Cinderella Camel Date Paste, it’s just a whole lot easier and faster than soaking and blending your own dates.
Dates are low in GI (Glycemic Index) which means they are digested and metabolised more slowly so they won’t cause spikes in blood sugar levels.
The date paste is blended with raw cacao powder (but just normal cocoa powder will work the same). I personally always go with raw cacao as it’s not heated so there’s a lot more minerals and nutritional value. Raw cacao is high in magnesium, iron, zinc and manganese and is also a mood booster. Much the same as raw cacao nibs which are also in these bliss balls. The cacao nibs give an extra chocolatey hit and a bit of crunch. I’ve also added ground almonds and desiccated coconut as they give the bliss balls more structure plus lots of additional nutrients. I chose to use a mix of both rather than just one or the other as almonds alone can be quite expensive and are higher in carbs than coconut, having both increases and diversifies the nutrients and it creates a bit more texture.
Tahini helps with the consistency and makes the bliss more smooth and decadent while being low in carbs, high in healthy fats, antioxidants and protein.
Coconut oil helps to bind everything together and when refrigerated it’s what sets the bliss balls.
You could put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until combined if that works for you and you have a powerful enough blender. I tried this but honestly I ran out of patience and gave up on the blender and instead just manually stirred it all together. If you end up doing the latter just make sure you give it a really good stir so everything is fully combined, I recommend using a metal spoon to sort of cut the mixture as you go. This helps break up the big pieces so everything mixes more evenly.
Due to coconut oil being the main setting ingredient these are best kept in the fridge, however they will be fine out of the fridge for a few hours after an initial set so still fine to take with you to work or school, they’ll just be a little bit softer.
This recipe will get you about 21 balls. Each ball contains approximately 4g of carbs, and you probably only need 2 for a quick snack. They are vegan, refined sugar-free and gluten-free.
If you liked these double chocolate bliss balls you might like to try my Individual lemon and blueberry cheesecakes they are also vegan, refined-sugar free and gluten-free. The base also includes date paste which looks to be coming one of my new favourite ingredients!
Ingredients
Instructions
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If you are using whole almonds put them into a food processor or blender and blend until they are a flour like consistency. If using almond meal just add to a blender or food processor and then follow remaining steps.
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Add all remaining ingredients except for the water and cacao nibs to the blender/food processor and blend until combined. This may take a bit of stopping, stirring and blending again as the mixture is really thick. If the blending really isn’t happening for you you can tip it all into a bowl and mix it manually. You will need to mix really well using a metal spoon and sort of cut the mixture with the edge of the spoon as you mix.
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Once mixed or blended, add the cacao nibs and mix manually with a spoon.
- If the mixture is quite crumbly add a tiny bit of water, only about ½ tsp at a time until it’s workable and feels like it will come together.
- Roll into balls by spooning out about 1tbsp of the mixture at a time and sort of moulding into a ball shape. If you try just rolling normally in your hands they may crumble slightly so it’s better to just sort of push them into ball shapes.
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Place on a plate or platter as you go that is big enough so they don’t need to sit on top of each other.
- Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour.
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Put some desiccated coconut (I used about ½ C) on a small plate then roll each ball in it to coat and set aside again.
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They are ready to eat now, but if you want to eat them later or have leftover just put them into the fridge or they can be frozen.
Notes
Once balls have set the first time in the fridge and after you have coated them in coconut they can sit on top of each other in a smaller container without getting stuck to one another.
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