BRAZILIAN BLISS BALLS
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We just love no-bake bliss balls at my house. These beauties get their name from one of the star ingredients: Brazil nuts.
Brazilian Bliss Balls are super easy to make in the blender or food processor and are great for snack time or breakfast on-the-go. They are grain and refined sugar free (just naturally sweetened with dates) and loaded with fibre, minerals, healthy fats including omega 3s, and easy-to-digest hemp protein. Cacao and cinnamon add wonderful flavour and antioxidants galore. Cinnamon has also been found to help stabilize blood sugar.
Brazil nuts are recognized as being the best food source of selenium on the planet. Selenium is an essential trace mineral needed in proper amounts — not too much, not too little — for optimal physical and mental health. It is believed to help regulate immune and thyroid function, improve mood, and to reduce inflammation, cognitive decline, and even the risk of certain cancers.
Brazil nuts are so rich in selenium that studies have shown benefits to eating just one per day. So here's my recipe with one Brazil nut per ball. Try them out and let me know what you think!
A ball a day helps keep the doctor away!!
Ingredients for 12 balls:
12 raw Brazil nuts
1/2 cup raw walnuts
2 scoops Further Food collagen peptides (omit for vegan)
1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds or 2 scoops Nuzest Clean Lean Just Natural, Smooth Vanilla or Rich Chocolate protein powder
2 Tbsp cacao powder
2 Tbsp ground gluten-free flaxseed meal
1 to 2 Tbsp maca powder (optional)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pitted Medjool dates (10-12 dates)
1 to 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil or MCT oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup cacao nibs or mini dark chocolate chips (I like to use Lily’s sugar-free chips)
optional: unsweetened flaked coconut, cacao powder, or Lakanto or ZenSweet sugar-free powdered monk fruit sweetener for rolling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Spread Brazil nuts and walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven to toast for approximately 10 minutes, tossing halfway through so they brown evenly. Allow nuts to cool to room temperature.
Put nuts, collagen, hemp seeds/protein powder, cacao powder, flaxseed meal, maca, cinnamon, and salt into food processor or blender container. Blend until well-chopped.
Add the dates, one tablespoon of MCT or coconut oil, and vanilla. Blend until a uniform paste is created, scraping the sides and bottom with a rubber spatula as needed. If mixture is dry, add a second tablespoon of oil. Stir in the cacao nibs/chocolate chips.
Scrape mixture onto a plate or parchment paper. Roll into balls. Dust the formed balls with cacao powder or “icing sugar” or roll in coconut as desired.
Brazilian Bliss Balls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week, or the freezer for up to 2 months.
