Mango-Lime Energy Balls
These energy balls are soft, sticky, and full of tropical flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 cup tightly packed dried, unsweetened mango (this was about 12 slices for me)
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates this was about 10 for me
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal*
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds aka hemp hearts
- Zest from 2 limes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric optional**
- A pinch of salt
- Extra almond meal and/or hemp seeds to roll balls in
Instructions
- 1. Place mangos and dates in a large bowl or glass measuring cup, and cover with hot tap water. Let sit for 15 minutes to soften.
- 2. Drain dates and mangoes, then put them in the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix). Blend until almost thoroughly puréed, about 1-2 minutes.
- 3. Add all remaining ingredients and pulse just to combine. The batter should be soft and sticky.
- 4. Pour a little extra almond meal and/or hemp seeds in a small bowl. Scoop batter with a mini ice cream scoop, or a spoon, and drop into the bowl of almond meal, stirring to coat. Use your palms to roll each dollop of dough into a ball. Repeat until all the dough has been used up.
- 5. Store balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. These energy balls will remain soft and sticky, and only slightly harden after refrigeration.
Notes
*I buy almond meal at Trader Joe's, and have seen it at almost every major grocery store in the natural foods" section. If you can't find almond meal, or happen to already have raw almonds at home, you can easily make it yourself. Just put 1 1/2 cups of almonds into the food processor when it's dry (before you blend the mangoes and dates), and blend until it forms a coarse, flour-like meal. Don't over mix, or it will eventually turn into almond butter.
**I love turmeric for its health benefits and bright orange color. If you don't have any at home, you can just skip it and the recipe won't be affected. If you do have some, though, I highly recommend using it. The sometimes astringent, earthy flavor of turmeric is completely lost in the bold flavors of date, mango, and lime, so you won't even notice it's in there! Adapted from Minimalist Baker
**I love turmeric for its health benefits and bright orange color. If you don't have any at home, you can just skip it and the recipe won't be affected. If you do have some, though, I highly recommend using it. The sometimes astringent, earthy flavor of turmeric is completely lost in the bold flavors of date, mango, and lime, so you won't even notice it's in there! Adapted from Minimalist Baker