Earth Balls for Earth Day

The Earth seen from Apollo 17.

In honor of Earth Day this year, I am forcing myself to make (read: not begging my daughter to bake) one of my all-time favorite treats. Earth Balls!

Why?

1. They’re good for you. Filled with crunchy nuts, dried fruits, dark chocolate, seeds, coconut and no refined sugars, you will not feel guilty about saying yes to a second serving (or in my case a third.)

2. Because of the seeds, this recipe will force you to brush your teeth afterwards, and therefore your dentist will be extra proud of you and people all around the earth will be happy to smile back at someone with clean teeth.

3. You will want to share them with the rest of the world–which is exactly what I’m doing and encouraging you to do for Earth Day brownie points.

4. They require no baking, so the low carbon footprint is a big bonus. (Okay, except if you decide to toast the coconut, which I did, but the sweets are just as terrific untoasted, too!)
5. You can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight fridge raid. They are not one meal bound.

6. Do there have to be any other reasons?

Warning: Highly addictive.

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This recipe is based on the Whole Foods Market Cookbook and it’s super easy to mess with the ingredients to make your own version.

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons carob powder or unsweetened organic cocoa powder
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (gluten-free, if desired)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc.)

Method

Before measuring the peanut butter, stir it up well.
Mix the peanut butter, honey and carob or cocoa powder until well combined. Stir in the raisins and 2 tablespoons of the coconut. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Place the remaining coconut, sesame seeds and nuts into 3 separate bowls. Using a spoon, scoop small heaps of the peanut mixture from the bowl; roll into 1 1/4-inch balls. Rolling is easier if you form a rough ball, roll in the coconut, and then continue rolling into a more perfect shape. Roll each finished ball in more coconut, sesame seeds and chopped nuts. Arrange the balls on a plate, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

I played with another mix and ended up with two versions of Earth Balls to appeal to the spicier palettes of certain family members. Believe it or not, my second batch was done with almond and cashew butter, maple syrup, cacao nibs, cherries, chia seeds, hemp seeds, curry powder, ground chipotle pepper, sea salt, and cinnamon, and dipped in either sesame seeds, roasted hazelnuts and roasted cashews or toasted coconut. I cannot decide which I like better; therefore I will continue to sample each until I’ve made a firm decision. This may take some time.

Can you come up with your own interesting mix? Let me know what comes together in your bowls!

Happy Earth Day!

Now don’t forget to head on over to the main post (here) to see what I’m bletherin’ on about this week. And check out what we’re talkin’ bout down at the pub (here) too!