I must admit Valentines Day doesn’t usually register on my radar, but somehow I must have been channelling the official day of romance as my plans to make an everyday energy ball turned into something much more decadent, indulgent and heart shaped. Clearly feeling the love!

This started out innocently enough, with some regular oats and some toasted coconut getting blitzed in the food processor to make a ‘flour’. Then came the moment where I took things in a chocolate direction, wantonly adding a good hit of cacao powder; then to add a bit more texture and complexity I threw in some cacao nibs and goji berries, before bringing the mixture together with some raisins and juicy medjool dates. Initially the mix was a bit dry and didn’t look like it was going to come together, normally this isn’t an issue when you are using nuts such as walnuts or pecans as their oils get released creating a good sticky dough. I really wanted to keep this nut free for once so added some melted coconut oil, my thinking being that once refrigerated the little cakes would firm up nicely as coconut oil naturally solidifies once chilled. 

I’m so pleased with the result, definitely an indulgent little treat to share with a friend, lover or yourself any day of the year!

enjoy x

Cacao Love Cakes

2014-02-10 21:13:09

Yields 8

Loved up energy balls, perfect for your valentine!

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Ingredients

100g (1 cup) oats (or GF oats)

140g (2 cups) toasted coconut flakes

A pinch of sea salt

6 tablespoons cacao powder

3 tablespoons cacao nibs

4 tablespoons goji berries

8 medjool dates

280g (1 cup) raisins

100ml (6 tablespoons) melted coconut oil

Instructions

Blitz the oats, toasted coconut flakes and salt together in a food processor (fitted with S blade) until you get a fine flour.

Add the cacao powder, cacao nibs and goji berries and pulse lightly to combine.

Next pit the dates and add them to the mixture along with the raisins and process until you get a loose crumbly dough.

Finally add the melted coconut oil and pulse until the mixture becomes sticky and will clump together when pressed.

Prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper and press the mixture into heart shaped cookie cutter moulds, pushing down and removing the cakes from the mould, they should hold together well.

Transfer to the refrigerator to firm up for up to an hour. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Could be frozen.

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