Vegan cherry cocoa balls

Vegan cherry cocoa balls with Medjool dates, sour cherries, oats and raw cacao – fruity, chocolatey and quick to make with no baking.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 15 min
• No cooking needed
• Total time: 15 min
• Calories: 180 kcal per serving
• Protein: 4 g
• Fat: 9 g
• Carbs: 22 g

Ingredients

• 100 g soft, stoned Medjool dates
• 80 g porridge oats
• 2 tbsp raw cacao nibs
• 2 tbsp lightly defatted raw cacao powder
• 100 g dried sour cherries (unsweetened)
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 1 pinch of Ceylon cinnamon

Method

You’ll need: food processor · sieve

1. Soak the dried sour cherries briefly in hot water, then drain, saving a little of the soaking water.
2. Grind the oats in a food processor into a coarse flour. Then add the dates, sour cherries, raw cacao, Ceylon cinnamon and sea salt.
3. Blend everything until you have an even mixture you can shape. If needed, add a little soaking water a splash at a time.
4. Knead in the cacao nibs by hand so they stay crunchy. Then shape the mixture into small balls with slightly damp hands.
5. Let the cherry cocoa balls firm up in the fridge until they're more compact.
6. Serve well chilled. Store in a container in the fridge.

Good to know

These little balls are soft, intense and pleasantly not too sweet. For me, exactly the kind of snack that tastes of a lot for very little effort.

Swaps

Oats → buckwheat flakes (naturally gluten-free, with minerals) | cacao nibs → chopped walnuts (more omega-3 fatty acids, softer bite) | dates → unsweetened prunes (more sorbitol and fibre, less caramel-like)

Allergens

Contains oats; depending on processing, not always gluten-free. Suitable for children in small portions, but quite strong and firm to bite because of the cacao nibs; generally fine during pregnancy, as long as the ingredients are cleanly processed and you tolerate them well.

Frequently asked questions

What's in sour cherries, nutritionally?

Dried sour cherries mainly provide carbs, fibre and various polyphenols. The amounts can vary depending on processing, so check that the ingredient list shows fruit only.

Does raw cacao have more nutrients than regular cocoa?

Raw cacao is usually processed more gently and often contains more natural plant compounds. But the differences depend on the product and aren't always consistent.

Why are cacao nibs more than just decoration?

Cacao nibs are crushed cocoa beans and provide fibre, some fat and minerals such as magnesium and iron. On top of that comes a strong, slightly bitter cocoa flavour.

Are dates a sensible ingredient despite their sweetness?

Dates bring natural sweetness, but also fibre and small amounts of potassium and copper. They're still a concentrated dried fruit, though, and not everyone tolerates them equally well.

Do oats suit a sensitive stomach?

Oats contain well-known types of fibre such as beta-glucans, and many people find them fine. With a very sensitive stomach, though, dried fruit and cocoa together can sometimes be too much – a smaller portion often helps.

Dairy-free recipes