A Decadent Dessert

warm chocolate chip cookies. mom's famous apply pie. gooey rice krispy treats. 

Desserts - how they pull at your sweet tooth, begging to be satisfied. You fight this war, knowing that you should really be eating a "real" meal instead of nibbling on macaroons. But oh the wonders of desserts, how they comfort, please, and delight us. I understand this temptation now. 

You see, I'm not a big dessert eater.

I'd much rather eat a bowl of noodles than a cookie.
I like desserts, mind you, but as far as working in the kitchen, I rather be cooking than baking.
It wasn't until my lovely friend, Mackenzie, introduced me to "The Kind Life" cookbook by Alicia Silverstone that I began to dabble in dessert creation...among other delectables.

Behold, I give you the most richest little balls of wonderful you will ever taste.
These are my new addiction.





Here is Alicia's recipe.  I changed it just a tad, but left Alicia's original suggestions in parentheses.


Raw Balls

½ cup walnuts or pecans
½ cup pitted dates
½ cup coco powder (or carob powder)
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup whole almonds
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut


Place walnuts into food processor until coarsely ground. Add dates until well combined. Then add coco powder, syrup, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Process until the mixture is thick and smooth. It will look like cookie dough at this point! Add the almonds and pulse for a few times (or you can do what I prefer; leave the almonds whole and just place 1 or 2 in each ball when rolling).

Form the mixture into little balls with your hands (Alicia says golf-size, but I made mind a tad bit smaller). Roll the balls in coconut. Place in a sealed container in the freezer until hardened. I leave mine in the freezer; they keep longer and aren't as gooey.

You can obviously substitute a variety of these items; even taking the coconut out if you are not a fan.

What I love about these little nuggets is that they are ridiculously rich, guaranteed to curb your sweet tooth, and they are actually a "healthier" dessert option.

What sweets can you just not live without? Any recipes to share?
Let me know if you try this recipe and your thoughts on them. :)






  
   

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4 Responses to A Decadent Dessert

  1. Okay, I'm a fan of the no-bake desserts, especially rum balls. When I read this recipe, I wondered, "Where's the base." And by base, I mean the crunched up crackers (nilla or graham) that provides the bulk of the cookie. The coconut appears to accomplish this role, but could I swap in crunched up crackers instead?

    And I'll add booze to mine. Definitely. This is looking good.

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  2. You can probably add some cookies to this instead of coconut or instead of the almonds...great idea Joe! :) Haha that is exactly what Zach asked, "where's the rum?"

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  3. Ooh, I took one look at these and thought "I wish these were vegan!" But they are! Yum.

    xox

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  4. Take it from me - resistance is futile!
    Loved those raw balls.

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