These moreish chocolate bliss balls are made with raw cacao, black sesame, coconut flakes, cashews, dates and sunflower seeds. They take just 10 minutes to make and are ideal for a delicious snack in-between meals. Store a batch of chocolate bliss balls in the fridge or freezer for when hunger strikes!
This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Sesamilk, Thailand. I believe they have a great black and white sesame milk product that I am happy to recommend. Sesame milk is a very nutritious plant-based and dairy-free milk alternative with 0% added sugar that can be incorporated into many delicious recipes.
What are bliss balls?
Bliss balls, also called energy balls or protein balls are versatile healthy snacks, usually made from plant-based ingredients.
They range from sticky to crumble to nutty and sweet, generally made with a combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruits and spices.
Bliss balls are perfectly portable, super nutritious, great for healthy snacking and created within a couple of minutes! Plus, they work very well for meal prep and are kid-friendly.
Star Ingredients for chocolate bliss balls
These healthy bliss balls are full of wholefood plant-based ingredients and packed with protein, good fats, minerals and fibers.
- Sunflower seeds
- Cashew nuts
- Coconut flakes
- Dates
- Black sesame seeds
- Black sesame milk
- Cacao
- Maple
- Coconut oil
Optional extras for flavor variations:
- Orange zest
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Vanilla
Benefits of bliss ball energy snacks
Call them date balls, bliss balls or energy balls, the combination of natural dried fruit sugars, healthy fats and fiber makes for a great on-the-go snack that supports your healthy eating goals.
- Nutrient-packed
- Kid-friendly
- Customizable to your dietary preferences
- Hundreds of flavoring options
- Delicious portable snack
- High in fiber
- Allergy-friendly
- Easy to make — even with kids
- Taste like desserts
- Support healthy eating habits
- Great for meal prep
- Ideal sports snack
- Little equipment needed
How to make chocolate bliss balls
If this is your first time making bliss balls I suggest following the recipe, once you understand the technique you can throw in your favorite ingredients. There are 100's of yummy variations you can go on to create.
While it’s hard to fail at making bliss balls if you know the basics, it’s best to get a feel for the texture and combinations first. It’s easiest to make bliss balls with a food processor or blender. I also recommend using a scale to measure your ingredients for consistent results.
If you use dates that aren’t moist and sticky, soak them in a small bowl covered with hot water for around 10 minutes and drain them before starting with the recipe.
The great thing about energy balls is that you can almost always just add all of the ingredients to your food processor, blend for a few minutes, then roll the balls.
Here are the basic 5 steps
- Assemble
- Blend
- Adjust
- Roll
- Eat
To adjust the mix; add a splash of plant-milk or water if the mix is to dry and crumbly or add some more nuts and seeds if the mix is looking wet.
Be sure not to over-blend your energy ball mixture, ingredients like nuts or nut butters can start releasing their oils and the mix can become sticky.
To roll your bliss balls, you can use a cookie scoop, spoon or your wet hands to scoop out around 1-inch or 1 tbsp amounts at a time. I do 40g balls for regular size of 20g balls for mini's. Roll between your palms to create little balls — feel free to decide what size you want them to be.
You can now enjoy your homemade bliss balls or roll them in a coating of your choice; I like to use raw cacao, toasted seeds or desiccated coconut.
Step-by-step guide for my chocolate and sesame bliss balls
Add sunflower seeds to the mixing bowl
Add cashew nuts
Take the stone out of the dates and add to the bowl.
Add the ground black sesame seeds and desiccated coconut to the bowl. These can be lightly toasted before adding to give extra flavor.
Add the raw cacao powder to the bowl
Add the sweetener to the mix. You can use honey, maple syrup or a coconut nectar.
Add the melted coconut oil the the bowl.
In with the black sesame milk.
Throw everything into a blender or food processer.
Blend until everything is mixed together well.
Roll into bite sized bliss balls.
Roll in toasted sesame seeds.
Transfer to a plate or container and store in the fridge.
Chef's Top Tip
Kids love them — they even love helping you make them! If you have bags of leftover sunflower seeds or raisins or are wondering how to include more flax seeds in your diet: bliss balls are fantastic clean-out-your-kitchen recipes.
More Bliss Ball Recipes
More Sesame Recipes
I hope you enjoy this chocolate bliss ball recipe, featuring Sesamilk. If you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #holisticchefacademy. Join me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram for more healthy recipe and videos!
Chocolate Bliss Balls - Coconut & Black Sesame
Equipment
- Weighing scales
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Blender
- Gloves
- Storage container
Ingredients
- 150 g Cashew nuts
- 100 g Sunflower seeds
- 100 g Dates
- 100 g Desiccated coconut
- 20 g Black sesame seeds toast and grind to flour
- 20 ml Maple syrup
- 10 g Cacao
- 20 ml Coconut oil
- 80 ml Black sesame milk
Instructions
- Assemble all ingredients. Add the sunflower seeds to a mixing bowl.
- Add cashew nuts.
- Take the stone out of the dates and add to the bowl.
- Add the ground black sesame seeds and desiccated coconut to the bowl.
- Add the raw cacao powder to the bowl
- Add the sweetener to the mix. You can use honey, maple syrup or a coconut nectar.
- Add the melted coconut oil.
- In with the black sesame milk.
- Add everything to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until the mix comes together. You will need to scrape down the sides and move the mix around with the mixing attachment for the blender.
- Roll into bite sized bliss balls.
- Roll in toasted sesame seeds and refrigerate.
- Have a taste of chocolate and sesame bliss!
Notes
- Use damp (not wet) hands to avoid the mixture sticking and lumping on your hands. You might need to clean and wash, then lightly dampen your hands a couple of times to get clean round balls.
Nutrition
Chocolate Bliss Ball Tutorial Video
FAQ
For this particular recipe you can omit the cashew nuts and add either pumpkin seeds or oats in place for a nut free variation.
Most bliss balls will last for at least 1 week in the fridge or can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Most bliss balls don’t just pack a good amount of nutrients, they are also decently high in calories. Since they contain healthy whole foods, it’s usually not a problem. Like all foods, practice moderation.
You can really use any of your favorite go-to plant milks for making bliss balls.
From first thing in the morning to an evening snack, energy balls can be enjoyed at any time of the day! They are great as a pre-workout snack since they provide quick and steady energy without filling your stomach up very much. You can also eat energy balls right after exercising to replenish glycogen levels.
It’s best to look for the nutritional information to determine how many energy bites are best for you according to your dietary needs and health goals. If you are looking to reduce weight or have a hard time moderating your intake, stick to 1-2 at a time.
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