Guilt-free treat formula

These days I'm constantly aware of the balance between eating clean and enjoying treats. I certainly enjoy a sweet treat to snack on after my dinner. But something delicious, indulgent and chocolatey doesn't have to be bad!



I've been having fun with various versions of these little treat balls - you can adapt to suit your preferences and what's in your pantry. I've developed a bit of a formula for making these;

• I always start with a 'base' - dates are great - nice and sticky and big (physically - for volume y'know!)
• Then I add some nuts or seeds (or both!) - Almonds, Cashews, Sunflower seeds are all favs for me
• Then I add more fruit - like cherries, cranberries, apricots or raisins
• Then I'll add something that's gonna add some bulk to this - shredded coconut or oats are great
• Finally some flavour - cocoa powder is pretty much a given, but also there are some awesome organic extracts like peppermint, almond, vanilla and orange - don't stop at one - I love the mint chocolate combination

This was my recipe (this time) for Chocolate Cherry treats!

• My base: 8 medjool dates pitted
• My nuts/seeds: 1/4 cup almonds
• My extra fruit: 1/4 cup dried unsweetened cherries
• My Bulk: 2 Tbsp Shredded unsweetened coconut
• My flavour: 2 Tbsp Cocoa powder & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• I added a teaspoon of maple syrup to help bind it together and since this version ended up pretty sticky I rolled them in cocoa powder to finish them off!

Sometimes the mixture is a little stickier, sometimes a little drier but anything goes (and if all else fails and it doesn't hold together in balls then just grab a spoon and eat it out of the bowl - just watch out for portion control!)