Choc Orange {Nut & Refined Sugar Free} Energy Balls

The flavour of choc orange is one firmly cemented in childhood thanks to one of my favourite cinema snacks – Jaffas! (Popcorn was my other #1) These Choc Orange Energy Balls are delicious, and being nut and processed sugar free, they make a great addition to the school lunch box or after school snack plate. They are also simple enough for the kids to make, my preschooler led the way with this batch!

Choc Orange {Nut & Refined Sugar Free} Energy Balls Recipe

You will need:

200gm dates
30gm dessicated coconut
60gm rolled oats
2 Tablespoons cacoa or cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 Tablespoons orange juice

To make:

1. Place all ingredients into a food processor or hand blender. Process until the oats are finely blended and the mixture comes together.

2. If the mixture is not sticky enough to hold together as balls, add a little more orange juice and process again. If the mixture seems too wet, add a little more oats and process again.

3. Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls of even size. Refrigerate until needed.

Hints & Tips

For a more intense orange flavour, grate a little orange rind into the processed mixture and buzz again until just combined.
I love rolling mini energy balls for my girls. You can really make them any size that you wish.

As a child, what was your favourite cinema snack?

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Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

Read more of Christie's adventures at https://childhood101.com.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

ID Mom says
March 28, 2016 at 1:15 PM

Just an FYI - for people with tree nut allergies, coconut may be on a no list as it is a tree nut. Although it is more distantly related and may be edible for some, members of my family with tree nut allergies cannot have coconut meat. If you had a recommendation for an alternative to the coconut that would be appreciated for those with more severe tree nut allergies, especially if you are going to call these "nut free". (Note: While I'm clarifying, I will add that peanuts are not actually nuts as they grow in the ground and are actually legumes like peas. Tree nut and peanut allergies are separate allergies (though a person may have both). Otherwise, thank you for this recipe. I hadn't seen dates as a base before, but I like it.
- Christie Burnett says
  March 28, 2016 at 9:49 PM
  
  Thank you for that helpful information.

Choc Orange {Nut Free} Energy Balls