10tablespoonmedjool dates, pitted and soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes
1tablespoonpeanut butter
1tablespooncoconut oil
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
1tablespoonhemp hearts
2tablespoonraw sunflower seedsroasted
2tablespoonraw cacao
1pinchof sea salt
1-3tablespoonraw cacaoset aside, for rolling (optional)
Instructions
Cut out the pits of the dates and add to a small bowl. Pour boiling water over top of the dates until they are all covered, and set aside for 10 minutes to soak.
In a small pot over low heat, add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Melt and stir until well combined.
If you’re adding sunflower seeds to the balls, I recommend toasting them first to get a deeper flavour. Pre-heat your oven to 375F. Spread the sunflower seeds out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in the heated oven and toast for 2-5 minutes, or until the seeds become fragrant. You can choose to stir them half way through to toast more evenly.
Drain off the excess water the dates are soaking in. Using a fork, mash the softened dates. Add the melted coconut oil and peanut butter mixture, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, vanilla, salt and raw cacao. Stir until all ingredients are well combined.
To roll them, simply spoon out about 1 teaspoon of the mixture, and roll it into a ball using your hands. The balls will seem very oily due to the melted coconut oil, but they will firm up in the fridge.
Place all the rolled balls onto a parchment-lined plate and set in the fridge to harden for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, you can do the optional step of rolling the ball in extra raw cacao powder by adding 1-3 tablespoons of cacao to a small dish or plate and rolling the balls until they are well coated. (Or if you want to get CRAZY you can also try rolling them in chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or hemp hearts.)
Recipe Notes
Keep these babies stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week (They won’t last that long because they’re too tasty to resist)