With the beautiful weather over the weekend along with a few events I've been to recently... healthy treats of the 'no-bake' variety have been on the agenda!

I been having lots of fun whipping up different flavours and ingredient profiles.

Typically 'bliss balls' are a blend of dates and some kind of nut along with cocoa powder. However I appreciate that for many people are nuts can be a source of intolerance or allergy and similarly for those looking to reduce fat in their diet, sometimes a substitution for nuts is a useful option.

I made a similar version of these balls for the Real Food Source Raw Chocolate Blend e-book linked below (it is totally free if you haven't downloaded your copy yet!) I changed up the ingredients a little and want to share this alternative spin on things with you today.  

Since I photographed these balls I've also tried many other variations including a goji-choc-orange version- always my favourite combination… Just check out this recipe for a delicious coconutty option. So good, it even became a limited edition Wholeplus Valentines flavour!

You could also add other nutrient rich powders such as maca, baobab, acai or wheatgrass (just a little of that unless you are feeling brave). No-bake treats are the perfect platform for blending in these ingredients since there is no heat required and so the full nutritional value will be retained.

Recipe: Chocolate Berry Boulders

Makes approx 12 small balls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dates

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or use extra dates)

• 1/2 tsp berry essence*

• 1 banana- mashed

• ½ cup finely ground oats

• ¼ cup raw cocoa (plus extra to roll in)

Method:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until lightly chunky and the mix is soft and a little sticky. If it’s too dry add a touch of liquid, if it’s too wet to roll add a little more ground oats or cacoa.

With damp fingers, form walnut sized balls and roll each ball in the cacao blend to coat. Keep in the fridge for up to a week.

*Instead of berry essence you could use orange, almond, or even something like caramel! For all my extracts and essences I use this company as they offer a huge range of flavours.