Coconut Hazelnut Balls

May 21, 2012

Coconut Hazelnut Balls

I have got into the habit of making raw nut milk and sweet treats using the leftover pulp. After enjoying those delicious Chocolate Balls with almond pulp I wanted a more exotic taste, so I made these pretty little coconut snowballs with hazelnut pulp. I also used virgin coconut oil for the first time and the balls had the most amazing aroma. No wonder coconut oil is used in aromatherapy for its soothing, stress-relieving effects. This recipe is very simple and requires minimal preparation.

Coconut Hazelnut Balls

These treats are so easy to make. Here's what you need:
  • pulp from 200 g organic hazelnuts (almost 2 cups lightly packed, leftover from making Raw Hazelnut Milk)
  • 1 cup soft dates (about 16), pitted and chopped
  • 1/2 cup coconut powder (not coconut milk powder)
  • 2 Tb organic virgin coconut oil (no need to melt it)
  • 3/4 - 1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut for rolling

Raw Hazelnut Pulp

Put the chopped dates in the food processor and blend to form a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides once or twice to get the same consistency (click the Chocolate Balls link above for more pictures).

Transfer the date paste to a glass bowl and add the hazelnut pulp, coconut powder and coconut oil. Mix by hand until well combined. Thanks to the oil the mixture doesn't stick to the hand, but it holds together well when pressed.

Form bite-sized balls by rolling them between your palms (I got 31). No need to be perfect about the shape now, you'll take care of that later.

By the time they're all rolled out, they're slightly dry on the outside, so just wet one hand or coat it with coconut oil and give them a quick roll one by one before dipping them in desiccated coconut and coat them well using your dry hand. This is where you need to apply a little pressure so the flakes stick to the balls. Keep turning the balls around in your hand so they maintain their round shape.

Coconut Hazelnut Balls

There isn't a lot of moisture in these balls, so better make them shortly before serving (alternatively add more dates or coconut oil). Meanwhile keep them at room temperature in a bowl covered with cling film. Serve them with a glass of hazelnut or coconut milk, as they are quite dense.

I cannot praise these kid-friendly treats highly enough, they are rich, mildly sweet, delicately flavoured and quite addictive. In addition to being very delicious, they have many health benefits thanks to the nutrient-dense coconut, dates and hazelnuts.

Coconut Hazelnut Balls

Virgin coconut oil is widely used as food for its many health benefits and as medicine for its healing properties. These are some of them:
  • it boosts the metabolism and helps the body burn fat more effectively
  • it is great for weight management, promotes heart health and improves thyroid function
  • it has no cholesterol
  • although high in saturated fats, the larger part of them are medium-chain fatty acids which are absorbed from the small intestine straight into the liver; as a result the body burns calories much faster than it burns calories from other fat sources
  • it has a high concentration of lauric acid (almost 50%) which has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antimicrobial properties, and boosts the immune system (breast milk is the only other natural source that contains such a high amount of lauric acid)
  • it has healing properties far beyond those of any other dietary oil
  • it is an excellent natural face and body moisturizer and is widely used in hair and skin care
  • it is great for pets too.
For more information on coconut oil please read 160 Uses For Coconut Oil by Hybrid Rasta Mama.

Coconut Hazelnut Balls

Enjoy these treats and spread the magic!:)


Like this recipe? Share it with your friends and come back for more!:)

10 comments:

Turn Key Design and Help LLC

Ok Dude this is an old family reciept actually my Mom made these for us growing up during Holiday time...LOL no wonder I STILL HAVE THE BODY OF A 16 YR OLD....LOL

Vegan Magic

I'm happy to know this recipe brought back memories:) Thank you for taking the time to comment:)

Allison

These look gorgeous and I am wondering if you can make it with hazlenut meal.
These delicious looking balls of yummyness (I am taking a quote from Nigella) look like they are bought they look so perfect - well done!

Vegan Magic

Thank you so much Allison for your comment, I'm very happy you like this recipe:) Yes, hazelnut meal works fine too, but you need to adjust moisture by adding more dates or coconut oil (or both).

Maaike

Hi, thank you sooo much for sharing this receipe. I just made the hazelnutmilk and these coconut balls and it is amazingly delicious!! I love it!!! And you are right, they are incredible addictive:)

Vegan Magic

This is wonderful news, Maaike:) I'm thrilled that you enjoyed both the hazelnut milk and the treats. I hope you'll try the chocolate balls as well, you'll love them;) Many thanks for the feedback, I greatly appreciate it.

yetty

Is coconut powder the same thing as coconut flour? Just wanted to be sure before trying this. If not, can they be substituted equally? I have both leftover hazelnut milk pulp & coconut flour at home. :)

Vegan Magic

Yetty, they are different, but the terms are often used interchangeably. What I used here was finely ground (powdered) desiccated coconut (or at least it seemed like that). It doesn't really matter which one you use, the consistency of the "dough" also depends on how moist the hazelnut pulp is. So you can either add some more coconut (powder, flour, shredded etc) if it comes out too soft, or coconut oil or date paste, if it's too dry and you can't form the balls easily. I hope you enjoy these treats and look forward to your feedback. Thank you very much for writing:)

Laura

These look delicious!! I will make them tomorrow! Have you ever added cacao powder or nibs to them?

Vegan Magic

Thank you, Laura! Well, it's the chocolate version I make most of the times, so yes they are really good:) Never used cacao nibs, if you try that please let me know how they turn out. Thanks so much for writing.

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