Happy New Year my dear readers!

Starting the new year with these lovely Apricot Tahini Blissballs! Just the way we like them – coated with dark chocolate, ‘coz whats life without chocolate! 😉

These blissballs are so flavourful, thanks to the sweet tartness of dried apricots , balanced with a deep earthiness of tahini.

I, very recently, discovered a local brand of organic date syrup in an organic food store and haven’t stopped using it on everything! It’s not overly sweet, but good enough – perfect for my clean eating January intentions! 🙂

Dried apricots are an excellent source of dietary fiber,  potassium, iron, carotenoids and other potent antioxidant phytonutrients.  A couple of these soaked overnight in water  and consumed first thing in the morning along with the water is extremely beneficial for a clean gut.

Tahini is essentially a paste made with sesame seeds and its very rich in vitamins and minerals – calcium in particular. It has 20% complete protein, making it higher protein source than most nuts ( source : MINDBODYGREEN ). Its high in unsaturated fast, which qualifies it as GOOD fat, we all need that!

It gives  a rather delicate nutty sesame seed taste and adds richness in both, savory and sweet dishes . It’s a great addition to all your hummus and other dips. I used it for a wonderful dressing in my Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Salad . There are a lot of bakers who add it to  their baked goodies  as well. I’d love to try that sometime too.

NOTES:

• Please taste the mixture once blended to adjust for sweetness. You can start with 1 tablespoon of date syrup instead of 2. You can always add more later.
• If you can’t source date syrup, simply use  pitted dates, soaked in warm water.
• Tahini is easily available online now and in health food stores.
• All the products I used are locally produced.

I’d love to hear about  how these  turned out for you. Do leave  a comment below and share a picture on INSTAGRAM  using the hashtag #tashasartisanfoods !

Print Recipe

Apricot Tahini Blissballs

Rich in protein and calcium, these Apricot Tahini Blissballs are a breeze to make and are a hit with everyone at home! Great as a post workout snack too!

Servings: 12 Blissballs

Calories:

Author: Natasha Minocha

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups Rolled oats, lightly roasted and cooled
• 12 Dried apricots, soaked in warm water for 10 -15 minutes
• 2 Tbsp Date syrup
• 1 Tbsp Tahini
• 1 tsp Coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup Toasted white sesame seeds for topping

Chocolate coating ( optional)

• 1/3 cup Dark 75% dairy free, vegan chocolate melted

Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients - oats, apricots ( without their water), date syrup, tahini and coconut oil in a blender.
• Blend till the mixture comes together like a smooth dough. You may need to add a tsp of water if the mixture is too dry.
• Taste and adjust for sweetness. Cool the mixture for 10-15 minutes. Roll into equal size balls, roll in roasted sesame seeds and enjoy!

For chocolate topping ( optional)

• If you wish to coat these in chocolate, dip each ball in melted chocolate and sprinkle immediately with the roasted sesame seeds. Place on a parchment lined tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until the chocolate is all set.