Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Mint Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls

Hello peoples! So sorry for the absence, I hope y'all weren't too horribly sad and lonely without my wonderful self around. I didn't have a choice, my family was going on vacation, and apparently it wasn't optional. *shrugs* But I'm here now, your knight in shining armor, your in-the-kick-of-time savior, your special nerd with a huge ego when writing blog posts . . . so all shall be well.

Mint Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls

This recipe took a looooooooooong time to write up. Not in the I-worked-so-amazingly-hard-on-this-thing-that-it-took-forever-to-publish sense, but rather I never got around to typing out how to make them. I posted a picture of these amazing balls of addictive deliciousness quite a while ago, promising the recipe, but instead my naughty self posted other recipes in it's place, and it got shoved back and back and back, until it finally made its appearance today. I don't know why exactly I dawdled so long in writing this up, for these balls taste rather wonderful if I do say so myself. Maybe the new foods that I kept making pressed more urgently to be written about, fresh in the mind after being made a few hours before. Or maybe I felt that I needed to space out my bliss ball recipes, and then ended up pushing it farther and farther until it was just a speck, way back in the line of other recipes, jostling around and vying to be published. Or maybe I just forgot to post it, and the longer it wilted in some cobweb-covered recess in a far corner of my mind, the less chances it had of blooming into something shared with others. Whatever the cause the recipe, like me, is here now, so now we can all dance around in a circle while chanting and stuff our faces happily. 'Nough said. 

Oh yeah, sorry for the off colored photos. The editing process went slightly awry, and boom, instant not-very-greeness. I swear that the balls were more green (which might not comfort some of you), but the way I edited made the brilliant greenness go away . . . *tear*


 Mint Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls

 Mint Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls



Mint Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls
-1 2/3 c rolled oats
-1/4 c honey
-1/4 c filtered water
-large handful spinach
-1/4 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 - 3/4 tsp peppermint extract (depending on how strongly minty you want it. I suggest starting with 1/2 tsp, tasting it, then adding another 1/4 tsp if you want it to be mintier.)
-1/3 c walnuts
-1/4 c chocolate chips of choice

Directions:
In a small blender, blend your spinach and water together very well, until no lumps remain at all. Set it aside, then in a food processor, process your oats and walnuts until they have become chopped up a bit, almost to the point of oat flour (but not quite). Add in the spinach water, honey, vanilla extract and peppermint extract, then process until a ball forms, or until everything has been well combined. Test the consistency of the dough with your fingers. It should easily be able to be rolled into a ball, but not to dry. If it is too dry add some more water (or honey), a tablespoon at a time. If it is too wet add some more oats.

Once the correct consistency has been reached, pulse in the chocolate chips until they have been broken up and spread throughout the dough. Now remove the bowl of your food processor from the stand-power-thingy, and using about a tablespoon at a time, roll the dough into balls. If your hands get sticky wash them as needed. Once all the dough has been used up, feel free to coat/roll it in whatever you want, then let the balls firm up in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes before eating. I used a homemade chocolate drizzle for topping which consists of 1 tbsp melted coconut oil, 1 (heaping) - 2 tablespoons cacao powder (cocoa powder works too), and about 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (adjust to taste). You could also just melt some of your own chocolate chips/bar. Then I dipped each ball in and let the shell harden in the fridge. If you want to use the chocolate drizzle thing, letting the balls harden a bit in the fridge before handling/dipping them might make the process easier.

Mint Chocolate Chip Bliss Balls

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