Recipe Index

Sweets | Raw Ballsvegan

Posted on January 29, 2013

Once you get over the name, you will love these. These little balls are Alicia Silverstone's "Raw Balls" from her vegan cookbook The Kind Diet. The idea is that final product is raw, so if you want to keep it raw, look for untoasted/raw ingredients. I couldn't find raw carob powder so I used raw cacao powder instead and they turned out great. Alicia says to make "golf-ball-size" balls using your hands, but I went with a smaller ball, about an inch across and used an ice cream scoop to get a uniform size. You will need to keep these in the freezer as they get too soft at room temperature. I wrapped mine individually in Saran Wrap and then put them all in a Ziploc bag. Who knew I would become such a raw ball aficionado!

Update on February 11, 2018: I used carob powder this time, it's a different taste. Not as chocolatety or as sweet as the cacao. I also switched out the almond ingredients for cashew.

Yield: 10 to 12 balls (more if you make them smaller)

raw balls

Ingredients

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup pitted dates

scant 1/2 cup raw carob powder or cacao powder

scant 1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup almond butter or cashew butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup whole almonds or cashews

2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

 

Method

Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until coarsely ground. Add the dates, and pulse until well combined with the nuts. Add the carob powder, syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Process until the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the almonds, and pulse a few times until combined; you want them to remain crunchy chunks.

Form the mixture into golf-ball-size balls with your hands. Roll the balls in coconut. Place in a sealed container in the freezer until hardened. (I freeze mine uncovered on a cookie sheet, then wrap them as described in the introduction.)

 

(Ref. "Raw Balls" recipe, The Kind Diet, page 205.)