I am so excited to discover Bliss Balls – they are little balls of deliciousness that are chock full of healthy real foods. These Apricot & Coconut Bliss balls are so tasty, you will want more!
The perfect thing to have as a mid afternoon sweet treat or to take as a plate to one of your many Christmas parties – or as we have done – having on hand in the fridge when you want a little something to nibble on!
No sugar, no butter, no flour, just real food.
There are quite literally thousands of combinations you could use, generally they are dried fruit, mixed with seeds or nuts and a binding ingredient, be it coconut oil, rice syrup, or honey. I was delighted to find a version of this on a blog called the Jolly Beetroot – what a great name!
They are so light and delicious and one or two is the perfect serving. Best of all for me, my kids LOVE them, even the one who will not eat dried fruit! It is like this magical little ball looks so pretty and inviting that they appeal to everyone. I would love to see these served over the Christmas period when everyone is serving truffles and the like as a healthy and goodness filled bite.
For this recipe I have used a combination of cashews and almonds, you could use either or both or another similar nut if you prefer. I will also show you some nut free recipes also over the coming weeks for those who prefer without – they use seeds instead and are amazing!
I am delighted to have used these gorgeous juicy dried apricots from Sunreal, using these apricots means the end result is a lovely light sweet bliss ball. They remind my husband of something we have had in the past, a slice or truffle, but man they are delicious!
Again I have used coconut oil, this jar of goodness will become a go to in your pantry as you begin to include a few low fat, low sugar recipes to your repertoire. It has so many uses and I have many recipes coming up where I will use it. Please do try honey or rice syrup if you do not have any – or extra orange juice!
You really do need a food processor or a strong blender to blitz up these ingredients, once you have a nice pliable mixture you can begin to roll them into balls, then rolling them in coconut or crushed nuts to finish – refrigerate and serve! Unlike some bliss balls this mixture is not too sticky so does not need to be frozen before serving, but you can make it according to your tastes.
If you love this recipe, then try these Cranberry Date & Cashew Bliss Balls
Pin It – Apricot & Coconut Bliss Balls
Onto the recipe for my easy and delicious Apricot & Coconut Bliss Balls!
Apricot Bliss Balls
Delicious, versatile and very simple.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150-160g) dried Sunreal Apricots
- 1 cup (85g) desiccated/shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup (65g) raw cashews (Almonds also work well)
- Zest of one orange, finely grated
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or honey, rice syrup)
- 1-2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- Extra desiccated coconut or crushed nuts, for rolling
Instructions
- Zest Orange finely and set aside
- Add the apricots to the food processor and pulse until they are finely and coarsely chopped.
- Add coconut, Cashews (and almonds if using) and orange zest and combine for 1-2 minutes until well combined
- Add 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil and combine well for approx. 30 seconds.
- If you find the mixture too dry and not able to roll easily add squeezed orange juice a little at a time until it comes together (I did not need to do this)
- Place your coconut or crushed nuts in a small dish ready for coating balls (up to 1/4 cup)
- Taking a tablespoon sized amount of mixture roll into balls between your hands
- Gently roll in the coconut to cover
- Set aside and once finished chill before serving for 1/2 hour minimum
- Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge
So as you can see these lovely little bliss balls really do live up to their name. Packed full of goodness and a lovely alternative to an afternoon chocolate fix!
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Happy Baking
Anna
Trupti says
Very nice recipe tasty and healthy but Anna, after adding nuts coconut and zest should I pulse it again or just combine with hand / spatula ?
justamumnz says
Just keep combining in the food processor until you are happy with the texture and taste.
Colleen says
Hi, what would you suggest to use instead of nuts as I’m allergic to them?
justamumnz says
Coconut or oats could be used.
Leslie says
Absolutely delicious! Just made these – needed the orange juice, but happy I did, it gave them a little bit of flavour oomph. So damned good and nice to find a bliss ball recipe without dates???
justamumnz says
Awesome I’m so pleased you enjoyed them!!! I always add extra citrus to mine as adds so much flavour. ☺️
Hit the path says
I just made these today. They were delicious! Perfect healthy snack for a road trip
Anna says
This recipe looks amazing! Would you use refined or unrefined coconut oil? Ive never used it before and went to buy it from the store but didnt know which one to purchase. Thank you!
justamumnz says
Great question!! And you’ll find everyone has an opinion on this. Either is fine, but here is an interesting article on it http://www.livingthenourishedlife.com/refined-vs-unrefined-coconut-oil-3/
Gen says
These were delicious! I love the idea of using apricots instead of dates. I substituted lemon for the orange (as I didn’t have any oranges and had plenty of lemons!) and used sunflower seeds and walnuts just because there were there.
justamumnz says
Sounds perfect! I love this recipe too as so versatile. ?
Kate @rosehipsrhubarb says
Oh yum. I’m definitely going to make these. Are the Sunreal apricots an Australian product or are they imported? I don’t think I’ve seen them before.
justamumnz says
Hi Kate, they are available here in NZ, I will look into whether you can get them in Australia for you 🙂
Jess @ Sweet Menu says
Oooh loving these sweet bliss balls! The perfect guilt-free treat!
Kim @Landofzonkt says
These sound amaze-balls! Pun intended 😛
I like a sweet treat but I don’t do sickly sweet so these are perfect as they have no sweetness but the dried fruit. Yum!
My hubby will love these I think I’ll be whipping these ones up for sure. Unfortunately Christmas isn’t Christmas without my trifle, lol. So maybe a great after Christmas go to when I’m fooded & desserted all out.
justamumnz says
Ha ha sounds perfect Kim! I love Christmas Traditional food – my favourite is Pavlova but weirdly my favourite is a store bought one! Perhaps I need to work on make one I love! 🙂
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile says
Oh I’m drooling! Bliss balls are the best! Love how they’re a healthy little snack. Mmm and this version sounds amazing! Thanks for joining our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party! Have a great weekend xx
Bele @ BlahBlah says
I love the idea of doing them with coconut and apricot, they ‘d taste sensational!
justamumnz says
Thank you Bele, they do 🙂
Danielle L says
I’ve made quite a few versions of bliss balls, but not any with apricot as the main ingredient. These would make great Christmas gifts!
justamumnz says
They are so delicious and light, thanks for stopping by Danielle 🙂