Prepare yourself for pure snack bliss.
Today we’re tossing six simple pantry ingredients into the food processor, pulsing until combined, rolling them into balls, and diving mouth first into BERRY CHEESECAKE BLISS BALLS.
The secret to creating that quintessential cheesecake flavor? Raw cashews.
Cashews are such a neutral, buttery nut, that blending them together with a little coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and salt creates an unmistakably cheesecake-like flavor profile.
After you’ve made your cheesecake bliss ball base, it’s up to you to decide what type of freeze-dried berries you’d like to flavor them with. Here I opted for raspberries and strawberries, which gave each ball a swirly pink color and tart-sweet berry flavor, but I’ve also used blueberries and love their fun purple color and sweet pops of blueberry flavor in every bite!
Freeze-dried berries are essential here as they have a bright, fresh, concentrated berry flavor but don’t add any moisture to these bliss balls; using freeze-dried berries is also a great way to enjoy berries out of season since they tend to be more flavorful and affordable than their fresh out-of-season counterparts.
If you’re in the market for a fun, easy-to-make, super satisfying snack, these berry cheesecake bliss balls are definitely going to become a new favorite! Make a single batch for yourself to snack on throughout the week, or double the recipe and store leftovers in the freezer so you can enjoy them for weeks without any extra time in the kitchen!
Whatever you do, you need these swirly pink snack bites in your life! If you make them, be sure to let me know what you think by leaving a comment below or taking a picture of your bliss balls and tagging me on Instagram so I can see!
Berry Cheesecake Bliss Balls
Time: 35 minutes
Yields: 12
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 2 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- 2 Tablespoons raw honey (can sub maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup freeze-dried berries (strawberries, raspberries, bluberries, etc)
Instructions:
- Place cashews into the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 10-15 times, until a coarse meal forms. Add oil, honey, vanilla, and salt, and pulse 6-8 times, or until a thick dough forms.
- Crush the berries in your hand as you add them to the food processor and pulse just 3-4 times, to barely combine them into the dough. If you mix it for too long, they’ll completely blend into the dough and dye it pink or purple, which is fine, but I prefer the texture of these with a few little berry chunks left!
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough into 12 balls, squeezing/rolling each in your hands to form balls. Place them into an airtight container in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before eating. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to a week and the freezer for up to a month.