I must admit that a few years ago the idea of making (let alone eating) “treats” made from dates made me gag.
Oh how the tide has turned.
Because I am on such a low fibre diet for medical reasons I have to be very careful when eating bliss balls so I refuse to eat bland ones.
An absolute favourite of mine are the Golden Gaytime Bliss Balls from the Twins And A Blog site http://twinsandablog.com.au/golden-gaytime-bliss-balls/ .
However due to my inability to ration them out I do not make them unless someone is coming. That way I can send the leftovers home with them.
As a compromise I have been trying different varieties that I thought I would not like as much. This has not been as successful as hoped and I have discovered another weakness – Apple & Oat Bliss Balls.
Even though most Bliss Balls are refined sugar free you still need to keep in mind that Dates, as with most dried fruits are full of natural sugars. If you are trying to watch your sugar intake be sure to limit your daily intake.
All you need to make these little gems is a high-powered blender/food processor or Thermomix and the following 5 ingredients.
- 1 cup of pitted Medjool Dates
- 2 cups of dried Apple
- 1 cup of Rolled Oats
- 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Paste
Process mixture until it starts to form a ball around the blades (approximately 1 minute for a food processor and 20 seconds in a Thermomix at speed 7). I prefer them to still be a bit chunky but you can make them more like a truffle. Just pulse or use the turbo function on the Thermomix until you reach your desired consistency.
Depending on how fresh your dates are you may need to add a little moisture. You can add either 1 teaspoon of water or maple syrup at a time. Roll teaspoons (or tablespoons if you are like me) of the mixture into balls and store in the fridge or freezer. You can eat these straight away but they are best when set in the fridge for about an hour. You can also eat them frozen 🙂
