We decided to do a carb-up for Christmas Eve, but I had only made a TON of keto Xmas treats. So I came up with this recipe for tiger nut energy balls so we could have a delicious but healthy treat with only fruit sugar and paleo-friendly ingredients.
Paleo Carb-Up Tiger Nut Energy Balls
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup tiger nuts, soaked in 1 cup water and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt for 24-48 hours, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup medjool dates, pitted and quartered
- 4 tablespoons water, divided 2 and 2
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup hemp hearts (*Or rolled oats if not paleo.)
Cinnamon Cardamom Add-In Ingredients:
- ¼ cup vegan protein powder (*May sub vanilla-flavoured whey isolate if not vegan.)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (*plus extra for finishing)
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder
- Flaky sea salt (like Maldon or Fleur de sel (*for finishing)
Mexican Mocha Add-In Ingredients:
- ¼ cup chocolate vegan protein powder (*Or chocolate whey isolate if not vegan.)
- 1 teaspoon raw cacao powder (*plus extra for finishing)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- One large pinch Turkish coffee powder (*May sub espresso powder.)
- One large pinch cayenne pepper
- Raw cacao nibs, for finishing
- Flaky sea salt (like Maldon or Fleur de sel (*for finishing)
Directions:
Process all base ingredients with 2 tablespoons of the water in a food processor into a fine sticky crumble (*The mixture will to stick together as it breaks down).
Add your chosen add-in ingredients (not including the finishing ingredients) into a bowl along the base ingredients and the other 2 tablespoons mix with a silicon spatula process until fully incorporated.
Roll into 1” balls with your hands then roll in the ground cinnamon (for cinnamon cardamom balls) or raw cacao (for Mexican mocha balls) then roll in flaky sea salt and raw cacao nibs (for the Mexican mocha balls). Set on a plate, repeating the process with the remaining mixture. Enjoy straight away or put in the fridge for an hour or two to firm up more if you prefer them firmer. Makes around 20 balls. Store in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Did you make this paleo carb-up tiger nut energy balls recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
