A couple of years ago I went to a cafe where I had the most amazing lemon bliss balls. They were intensely lemony, almost – but not quite – too tart, with a citrusy zing and only just enough sweetness to have you wanting more. These bliss balls are not those, but those bliss balls gave me the confidence to attempt citrusy bliss balls when I only had about half the quantity of dates that I’d usually use for bliss balls. I love the way these turned out. My kids love them too, although admittedly their tastes are not necessarily reliable given that they are easily pleased by anything vaguely resembling a treat. I hope you enjoy them too, if you decide to make them.
This makes about 22-24 bliss balls, depending on how much mixture you and those watching you eat along the way. The cup measurements are based on a 250 ml mug as equal to 1 cup. I made this with limes but lemons would work just as well.
What you need:
1 cup of dates
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
Zest of 2 limes
1 cup of dessicated coconut plus a few extra tablespoons for rolling the bliss balls in
2 1/2 cups of ground almonds
What to do:
1. Soak the dates in the boiling water for at least a few hours but preferably overnight.
2. Add the lime juice to the date and water mixture and blitz until the dates and liquid are a smooth puree.
3. Add the lime zest, coconut and ground almonds to the blitzed dates and mix thoroughly. You are aiming for a fairly stiff consistency that will be easily rolled so you may need to adjust the consistency with a little more water (if it is too stiff) or ground almonds (if the mixture is too loose) but only add a little bit at a time if this the case as more of either will affect the final flavour.
4. Spread the extra dessicated coconut on a plat. Taking one generous teaspoonful of mixture at a time, roll the mixture into small balls and then roll each ball in the coconut to coat the ball, before setting it to one side to dry a little.
5. Eat and enjoy!
Some, Some and Some 