Christel's Protein Balls

Protein Balls (Christel Harding).jpg

My student, Christel Avenhall-Harding recently brought this delicious snack to a birthday celebration. They’re vegan, gluten & dairy free, have no refined sugars and are so yummy!

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 16 oz raw chunky or creamy almond butter* (about 1-1/2 cups). 

  • 2-1/2 - 3 Tablespoons coconut oil 

  • 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (or 1 Tablespoon coconut oil if you prefer)

  • 1 cup Arbonne vanilla protein shake powder (V, GF, DF & Certified GMO Free)

  • 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes (fine) or rolled oats (or half of each) plus more coconut flakes for rolling (Christel uses half of each)

  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon

  • 3/4 tsp ground ginger

  • 1/4 tsp sea salt or pink salt

  • 1 tbsp maca powder (optional) 

  • 1/4 cup whole pecans

  • 4 dates 

  • 3/4 cup goji berries

PROCEDURE: 

Place almond butter, coconut oil and maple syrup in a pan over low heat and heat until melted and smooth. Do not boil.

Combine whole pecans, dates and goji berries in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Combine protein powder, coconut flakes, rolled oats, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and maca powder. Add the melted almond butter and coconut oil mixture and combine. Form into 1-inch balls.

Roll balls in coconut flakes (put the coconut flakes in the blender or food processor for a few seconds to get a finer flake which makes it easier to roll your balls so they don’t stick). Store in fridge or freezer.

*Almond butters can vary quite a lot in consistency. Trader Joe’s Raw Almond Butter is excellent for this recipe. If you prefer a different brand that perhaps is dryer, you might have to add a Tablespoon of coconut oil.

**If you are planning on sharing these, please consider that this is a raw food and it is recommended to use food grade gloves when rolling the balls. It also makes it much easier to roll the balls wearing gloves as the batter will not stick to your hands. If you don’t have gloves a great trick is to use a small spoon to dollop out bite size portions on a plate, cover with coconut flakes and then pick it up to roll it. That way it will not stick to your fingers. Then freeze them before thawing and serving them up to your friends….because they are simply too good not to share — Christel

 

RecipesSusan JohnsonComment