Perhaps the first recipe I ever wrote, many years ago now, this is definitely one of my most loved and used.
I’ve updated it and added ingredients that weren’t as readily available back then. These little balls of goodness are now a whole lot better.
Makes 24
INGREDIENTS
30 g (1 oz/1 cup) puffed millet, amaranth, quinoa or brown rice
50 g (13⁄4 oz/ cup) sesame seeds
55 g (2 oz/ cup) sunflower seeds
1 cup toasted unsalted chopped nuts (such as almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts or macadamias)
50 g (51⁄2 oz/1 cup) mixed seeds (such as hemp, chia, sesame, sunflower, pepitas or flaxseed meal)
1 cup flaked, shredded or desiccated coconut
1 cup chopped dried fruit (such as apricots, apples, peaches, pears, raisins, dates or goji berries)
205-270 g (71⁄4-91⁄2 oz/3⁄4−1 cup) hulled tahini
260-350 g (91⁄4-12 oz/3⁄4−1 cup) rice syrup
1⁄2 cup sesame seeds, hemp seeds, raw cacao powder and/or shredded or desiccated coconut, for rolling
METHOD
1 Place all the dry ingredients in a food processor and blitz until still a bit chunky. Transfer to a large bowl.
2 Add the dried fruit to the food processor and blitz, keeping the texture a bit chunky. Add to the dry ingredients in the bowl, then mix together. Return this mixture to the food processor (you may have to do this in batches) and, while the motor is running, gradually pour in the tahini and rice syrup and process until a shiny ball forms. Taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness and the amount of tahini to your liking.
3 Using wet hands and working with 1 tablespoon of mixture at a time, roll into balls, then coat in either the sesame and/or hemp seeds, cacao powder and/or coconut.
4 Store the balls in an airtight container. They will last for months in the fridge, which keeps them fresher, but they’re just as happy in the pantry.
The Carousel thanks Janella Purcell for this recipe.
Janella’s Super Natural Foods is published by Allen & Unwin and is available from Wednesday October 22.
