Raw chocolate pudding balls

I am so excited about this recipe! RAW CHOCOLATE PUDDING BALLS! This was actually one of the first recipes I developed for my website but I have come back to it this year and hopefully made it even better for you! So a lot of my raw ball recipes use ground almonds as the main ingredient but for these I used dates. I also add some Christmas spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg to give it that seasonal touch! Because you have to add christmas spices to a chocolate pudding right!?

Here’s a few things to know about dates:

Dates are an excellent source of energy and fibre
They contain a significant amount of minerals that contribute to strengthening bones and reducing risk of osteoporosis
They are great for your digestive system
They are also a source of potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc
They make an excellent base ingredient for chocolate pudding balls!

Ingredients (makes 12 chocolate pudding balls)

12 medjool dates
2 tablespoons of honey
1/4 cup of ground almonds
1/4 cup of cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

For the icing

1/2 a cup of icing sugar
2 tablespoons of water
A chopped up mint leaf (may use pumpkin seeds instead)
A handful of dried cranberries

Method

Remove the stone from the dates and cut into pieces into a bowl. Soak in boiling water for 1 hour.
Drain the dates and use a fork to smooth together (they will be moist from the water which is how they should be as it makes them easier to work with).
Use a fork to combine the honey and the ground almonds with the dates.
Add the cacao powder, cinnamon and nutmeg and combine until you achieve a smooth dough like mixture.
Roll the mixture into 12 round chocolate pudding balls and leave in the fridge for an hour.

For the icing

In a bowl, mix together the icing sugar and water until you have a silky smooth icing.
Drizzle the icing over the chilled balls (as shown in pictures)
Place one dried cranberry and a little piece of mint leaf on top of each of the 12 mini chocolate pudding balls.
Leave to chill for another half hour and then enjoy!