It is difficult to satisfy your craving for baked goods in the summer-time. I have a hard time turning on the oven to whip up a batch of cookies, when the temperature inside the apartment is close to 30°C.

But, I have found the perfect solution for this dilemma – Raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls!

This recipe was actually given to me by my friend & colleague, Kerri. One day she swung by my desk and asked me to try one. My first reaction was that they looked like a Timbit. When I tasted one, I immediately thought that it tasted like cookie dough! This recipe is an absolute winner!

I shared this recipe with my sister, and she made her own version that tasted like a brownie. My friend Kim also made a similar treat. Raw desserts are taking over!

Once you gather up all your ingredients, this dessert really only takes about 10 minutes to make. It is a great summer time dessert, since you don’t have to turn on your oven to make them, and the ingredients are something that a lot of people already have on hand.

* Note – If you don’t have dates in your cupboard, I highly recommend it, as they are a great snack when you are craving something sweet.

This has to be the easiest (and maybe healthiest) dessert that I have ever made. You just throw everything in the food processor and mix together. You can take the time to make them into balls, or you can just eat it by the spoonful 🙂

I think that they would be great if you made them into balls and then rolled them in coconut or cocoa powder – they would be like raw truffles.

Kerri mentioned to me that there are a lot of different variations of this treat out there on the Internet. If you are doing a search, just type “bliss balls” in your search-engine, you will be amazed at the number of hits you will get!

This recipe made about 20 “cookies”, and believe me when I say they didn’t last long!

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Adapted from:
bakeaholic

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup raw almonds
• 1/3 cup quick oats
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 15 whole dates
• 2 tbs unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine almonds and oats in your food processor.  Mix together to form a course flour mixture.
2. Add the vanilla and maple syrup and blend again.  The mixture will begin to clump together.
3. Add in the dates (3 or 4 at a time) and blend until the mixture starts to stick together.
4. Add in the coconut and continue to blend.
5. Add in your chocolate chips and mix until just blended.
6. Scoop out 2 tbsps worth of mixture and form into balls.
7. Enjoy!  These are super easy and go fast, you may find yourself making another batch within the hour!