These chocolate balls are a sure to be a holiday hit with both kids and adults.
Chef Brenda Fawdon, owner of Brisbane organic restaurant Mondo Organics, says they are her version of the sweet balls you can find at health-food stores and will keep refrigerated for up to three weeks – although it seems unlikely they’ll last that long.
The recipe is from Fawdon’s recently published cookbook Wholehearted Foods (published by UQP, $39.95).
Mondo chocolate baci balls
Makes about 12
Ingredients
120g good-quality dark chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon raw honey (optional)
100g hazelnuts, roasted and skins removed
50g ground hazelnuts, almonds or LSA
150g pitted Californian dates, finely chopped
1 tablespoon hulled tahini
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
50g shredded or desiccated coconut
Method
Place all of the ingredients, except the coconut, in a food processor and process to a stiff paste. It should be easy to form into balls – if the mix is too dry, add a little extra water to combine; if it’s too wet, add some extra ground hazelnuts or almonds.
Take 1 tablespoon of the mixture at a time and roll into neat balls – you should make about 12 balls in total. Tip the coconut into a shallow bowl and roll each ball in the coconut to coat.
The chocolate balls can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
