Horse Crazy Bookworm

On past Christmases, my grandma used to send our family a plate of Christmas cookies.  Among these cookies was a healthy treat called carob balls, which everyone loved.  They never lasted long. 

Well, none of the cookies did, really.

Grandma would often send us carob ball powder  for various other holidays, as well. (Valentines day, Easter, etc.) All we had to do was mix in the wet ingredients.

Once, a little while ago, I decided to whip up a batch of carob balls.  Then my ever-working-most-brilliantly brain had a thought; carob is a substitute for cocoa (though we could mostly tell the difference), so why not make cocoa balls?  I made the recipe again, making my normal changes, and substituting carob with cocoa powder. 

They tasted “all right,” in my opinion.  They were good, but not much different from carob balls.

“All right” wasn’t good enough.  They had to be “wow!”

So, for a trip to California, I made them that way.  (But I honestly can’t remember what I changed, or if I even did change anything.)

First, here is that much loved recipe for carob balls:

Carob Balls

1/2 cup of carob powder

1/2 cup of raw sunflower seeds, with the shell/husk (whatever it’s called) removed.

1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup of unsweetened peanut butter

1/2 cup of raw honey

1/4 cup of flour, or soy flour.  I used coconut flour.

Some amount of flax seeds, which I can’t remember.  I changed it to a 1/4 cup, and I ground them.

Some unremembered amount of wheat germ, which I simply left out.

First, put the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix them together.  Then add the wet ingredients.  You can shape them into little balls, or be lazy and leave them looking like a big ole’ blob of cow pie.  They taste better refrigerated (everything does), but you can leave them out.

Now, for my cocoa balls:

Cocoa Balls

1/2 cup of unsweetened peanut butter or sunflower seed butter.  I prefer the sunflower seed butter, because the peanut butter is so strong that it blocks out the cocoa taste, almost.  

1/2 cup of raw honey

1/2 cup of cocoa powder (happy dance)

1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, raw, shelled/husked, etc.

1/2 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup, about, of ground flax seeds.  I pretty much grind up a handful and put them in.  It usually makes a scant 1/4 cup.

1/4 cup of coconut flour

Mix everything together in whatever order you want.  Then, either make them into balls or leave them, again, in a big ole’ blob that…you know.  They taste totally awesome refrigerated, but you can do whatever. 

Caution: Both of these recipes can be rather addicting, both to make and eat.

Enjoy these healthy, yet delicious recipes.  Again, I think I liked making these, and taste-testing, better than I liked eating the finished results.  That’s how I roll.