chocolate energy balls

many years ago, i worked at an organic sprout farm in toronto. most of the people who worked there, and most of the customers were raw foodists. while i am certainly not a raw foodist, and feel that the "science" behind it is sketchy at best, those raw foodists made a mean dessert. 

as someone who isn't big on straight up SUGAR, their desserts (made mostly of figs, dates, nuts, fruit, etc) were very appealing to me. i still peruse raw food blogs looking for dessert recipes. 

while i wouldn't exactly call them a dessert, these energy balls are SO TASTY. they are chocolatey and rich, but not crazy-sweet. matt really likes them, and calls them "healthy timbits". they are also not made with all-raw ingredients, but the inspiration came from raw desserts.

ingredients:

1/2 c pecans
1 c dates (pitted)
5 T cocoa powder
2 T agave syrup or honey
dash salt
1 T instant coffee
1 t vanilla
2 T unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 c oatmeal*

* if you use oats that have been processed in a gluten free facility, these are gluten free!! 


to make:


toss pecans in a food processor

pulse until the pecans are quite finely chopped

add dates, cocoa powder, agave syrup, salt, instant coffee and vanilla

process until the dates are chopped up, and everything is well mixed. this may take 1-2 minutes. then, add coconut and oatmeal.

pulse a few times until they are mixed in thoroughly. check the texture. you want it to be sticky enough to stay together, but not sticky enough to goop to your hands. if it's too dry, add 1-2 t water, and pulse to mix. 

dump out the dough, and divide into 24 balls. they will each be about a tablespoon of dough. roll them between your hands to shape. 

i throw a few in the fridge, where they will last a couple of weeks, and the rest in the freezer for later. they make a great mid-afternoon snack, to get you through until dinner!!