SPICED APRICOT PROTEIN BALLS

I love making healthy homemade snacks. These Spiced Apricot Protein Balls are packed with vitamins & minerals, healthy fats, fibre, and plant-based protein.  Better still, they are super easy to make and have been a HUGE hit with all of my taste-testers. 

Apricots have a slightly musky sweet-tart taste with hints of peach and plum.  They are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants and provide a good source of minerals, fibre, and vitamins such as A & C. If possible, I recommend using organic dried fruit with no added sugar or preservatives.

Spiced Apricot Protein Balls made with orange juice & zest and hemp hearts and topped with unsweetened desiccated coconut.

Ingredients for approximately 12 balls:

• 1 1/2 cups mixed nuts (suggest raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts)

• 1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

• 1/4 cup Nuzest Clean Lean Smooth Vanilla protein powder (or Eaton Hemp hemp hearts)

• 1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp ground allspice

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom

• 1 cup diced dried apricots (I used 4 packs of Sunny Fruit organic apricots)

• 1 Tbsp avocado oil or coconut oil, melted

• juice from 1/2 orange or 2 small clementines (here)

• 1 to 2 tsp orange or clementine zest (below)

• 1/4 tsp pure almond extract

• optional toppings: raw Giddy Yo cacao nibs, finely chopped nuts, unsweetened shredded coconut, or toppings of choice

Directions:

Ready for rolling into balls.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread nuts on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and toast for approximately 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.

2. Put toasted nuts, coconut, protein powder, and spices in a food processor or blender container and grind together.

3. Add the apricots, oil, orange juice, zest and almond extract.  Pulse a few times then blend together, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom with a spatula as needed.

4. Scrape sticky mixture into a bowl and use hands to roll into balls.

5. Once the balls are formed, roll in cacao nibs, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, or toppings as desired.

Spiced Apricot Protein Balls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week, or the freezer for up to 2 months.

Spiced Apricot Protein Balls made with Nuzest Clean Lean Smooth Vanilla protein and clementine juice & zest (no toppings).

Spiced Apricot Protein Balls topped with coconut, cacao nibs, and chopped nuts.