These Christmas Pudding Energy Balls are completely ram jammed with natural energy. I use a mix of dried fruits: goji berries, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, golden berries and medjool dates. You need 1 cup’s worth in total, so as long as you make up that amount then you can use what ever dried fruit you like. To slightly spice it and give it that Christmassy warmth I use 1/2 a teaspoon of mixed spice and I always like to add a good teaspoon of orange zest too. To help it bind and bulk it out you will need ground almonds. For this recipe, you will certainly need a food processor to whiz it all up and bind it together. I use the KitchenAid 3.1l Food Processor which I highly recommend, you can find it here.
To make up the topping for the pudding balls you will need cacao butter and some maple syrup or honey or just a natural sweetener like sugar vida or stevia. For the berries I use goji berries chopped up and rolled between my fingers. For the leaves I use mint leaves, cut up (or for these pictures below, I had to use coriander as my mint had wilted!). However, if you were very very creative you could make some green marzipan by following the marzipan recipe here and adding some spirulina or chlorella.
Finally, if you love opening Advent Calendar’s then you will love this treat. I was lucky enough to be featured on Wren Kitchen’s 24 Days of Christmas advent calendar. Can you find me? View it HERE.
- Base:
- 150g Ground Almonds
- 1 Cup Mixed Dried Fruit (a mixture of any dried fruit- medjool dates, dried cranberries, apricots, golden berries, raisins, sultanas etc- so long as you make up 1 cups' worth)
- 1tsp Orange Zest
- ½tsp Lemon Zest (optional)
- ½tsp Mixed Spice
- 2 tsp Cacao Nibs (optional)
- 1 tbsp water
- Top:
- 40g Cacao Butter
- 1.5 TBSP Maple Syrup, Raw Honey or Sweetener (stevia etc)
- ¼ tsp ground vanilla
- 1TBSP Goji Berries
- 5 mint leaves
- Have a baking sheet ready
- In to a food processor place the mixed dried fruit and blend for 1-2 minutes until beginning to crumble down, add in the mixed spice, cacao nibs and orange and continue to blend
- Now add in the ground almonds and 1 TBSP water and blend for 2-3 minutes until the ingredients have come together in to a dough OR when the mixture has become sticky enough to roll in to balls
- Using clean hands, roll the dough in to small edible balls and place on to a baking sheet
- Continue until you have used all the mixture
- Place in to the freezer for 20 minutes
- Whilst they are in the freezer and using a bain marie (simmering water in a pan, with a heatproof glass bowl resting, but not touching the water) melt cacao butter in to the bowl and add in your maple syrup and vanilla
- Stir and combine
- Take off the heat and allow it to rest for 2-3 minutes
- Take your balls out of the freezer and holding the ball half way, dunk it in to the sweet cacao and place it (dough side) back on to the baking sheet
- Continue until you have done all the balls and then start again from the beginning doing a second layer and then a third if needed (you want the topping to be as white as possible!)
- Add on to each ball the rolled goji berries- ⅔- and your leaves (I chop mint leaves in to smaller ones and decorate with one or two little leaves)
- Place back in to the freezer to fully set for 30 minutes before bringing out and serving (allow them 20 minutes out of the freezer before serving)
- You can keep these in the fridge for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 3 months
I am in! Both Christmastime and these lovely treats my friend! Cheryl x
Thank you! Sending lots of Christmastime wishes to you lovely ! Hope all’s well. X