February has always been about desserts. Between Valentine's Day and my birthday, February is definitely our chocolate month. We all love a good piece of cake for a dessert, but as a sweet tooth person, I like always to have something sweet that I can snack on during the day. Something delicious, simple to make, so I can prepare it and eat it right away.

Today I am sharing with you a recipe for a perfect chocolate dessert - that is also healthy! Yes, you've heard me. Not only these Chocolate Bliss Balls are irresistible end so delicious, but they are also packed with great ingredients that will bring you energy and so much joy!

These no-bake Chocolate Bliss Balls are made in 10 minutes with only 8 ingredients and taste insanely good! They are vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free as well!

They are basically a superfood in one, delicious bite.

Bliss balls are often called energy or protein balls as they are packed with good fiber and a combination of ingredients gives you that extra energy kick when you need it. Whether that is after a workout, in the morning or just when you crave something sweet, these chocolate energy balls will become your thing. The best part is that you can make them from scratch in just a couple of minutes and take them with you for your power snack. The recipe is very versatile as well, so you can mix and match your favorite ingredients and turn them into a perfect healthy dessert!

For this recipe, I used whole almonds as the base of the mixture, but you can also go for toasted hazelnuts or cashews. Being refined sugar-free, in this recipe, we are using dates as our main source of sweetness. Make sure to soak them in hot water for at least one hour before blending everything together. In this way, your date paste will be much smoother and easier to work with.

how to PREPARE CHOCOLATE BLISS BALLS

This might be the easiest recipe you will ever prepare. All you have to do is toss all your ingredients into a blender and blend, blend, blend! It will take from 3 to 5 minutes to get a smooth mixture, depending on how strong is your blender. You will know that the mixture is ready as all ingredients are blended in a cacao mixture that holds well when you grab it with your fingers.

For the presentation purposes, you can step up your decoration game and cover the bliss balls with some melted dark chocolate, dried rose petals, crushed pistachios, and almond slices. If you prefer, you can roll them in your favorite seed mixture, shredded coconut or dark cacao powder. They will be pretty and delicious in any case!

In case you make this recipe make sure to tag me on Instagram @thehungryapron and I will be happy to share your creations! Make sure to leave a comment below as well, I would love to hear how they turned out! 

Fudgy Vegan Chocolate Bliss Balls Recipe
Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

Serves 16
Prep. time: 15 minutes

16 dates, pitted

150g whole almonds

4 tbsp coconut flakes

25g cocoa powder

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp orange zest

2-3 tbsp fresh orange juice

Pinch of salt

METHOD

Clean the dates (if not unpitted already) and soak them in hot water for 1 hour.
In a blender add dates, almonds, coconut flakes, cacao powder, chia seeds, orange zest, orange juice, and salt. Blend for 3 to 5 minutes, or until all ingredients are mixed in a soft cacao mixture. With the palm of your hands make little balls (this mixture makes 16 bliss balls). Roll them into cacao powder, coconut flakes or dip them into some dark melted chocolate. For presentation purposes, I used dried rose petals and almond slices as well. Enjoy!

*In collaboration with Mimina Granola

2019 was an exceptional year. A rollercoaster of changes, new beginnings, and perspectives. 

I entered the freelancer world with my feet on the ground, but with my head in clouds -full of dreams and goals to achieve. I got married, yes, that happened as well :), we moved to the countryside in search of inspiration, a slow life, and clear air. We traveled, mostly for work, but found so much pleasure in meeting new people, eating local food, and being able to work from wherever we want to. It wasn’t easy, but as always, things fall in their right place eventually. 

It was a year of Instagram as well, where I got to meet (even if only virtually) so many wonderful personalities, talk about recipes, share stories, and admire courageous people from all over the world. Seeing all these people trying to build their own dreams and believing firmly in their calls, encouraged me even more to follow silly dreams of my own. Dreams are a funny thing - they might come true when you least expect it. 

Even though I try to slow down, I have already started drafting new projects for 2020. I've always wanted to have a small corner of my website where I can share articles outside of the world of recipes (even if this is still my favorite) that touch upon areas such as slow living, gardening, entrepreneurship. With the holiday season on our doors, I decided to open Table stories. 

Table stories are born as a need to give a voice to many ideas and dreams in realization. I envision it as an online magazine where you can read interesting articles over a cup of coffee or tea on a slow Saturday afternoon, find out about new companies or events.

I am thrilled to open this new chapter with an inspirational story of a female entrepreneur from Italy, Francesca D'Antonio, and her Granola business. Francesca was kind to share her path from living all over the world, becoming an art expert, finding happiness in slow life in Santa Sofia, and opening her own granola business. You can read all about it in my latest article here.

A great family story, high-quality organic ingredients are just one of the things that can describe Mimina Granola. As a granola lover, I often bake my own granola as the store-bought is too sweet and with additives. Finding granola that seems like the homemade version wasn't possible until I've tried Mimina Granola. When Francesca sent me the box of four different flavors, I couldn't wait to try them all, and let me tell you I couldn't decide which one was my favorite. Great texture and even better taste, the mix of ingredients and spices are what make every granola mixture so interesting.

I use granola for many of my recipes, both sweet and savory, as it gives extra texture and taste. Today I am sharing with you my holiday version of panna cotta, with poached pears and delicious cacao hazelnut granola. 

For holidays I always try to make something new and surprise my guests. This spiced panna cotta with poached pears and chocolate is a perfect quick dessert that you can make just a few hours before your guests arrive. Panna cotta itself takes less than 10 minutes, and poached pears give them a more festive and warm tone. Cinnamon, cloves, and star anise are my favorite holiday spices, especially when poaching fruit. Once the pears are cooked, simmer the remaining water until it resembles syrup. This will give your panna cotta extra flavor. 

Cacao Hazelnut Mimina Granola is made of delicious chocolate chunks, and a generous sprinkle of this chocolate heaven will make this recipe more interesting with different flavors and textures. 

Francesca offers so many interesting products and granola combinations on her website, so make sure to stop by and take a look. We prepared a special discount code for your shopping as well - grab the code in my Table Stories article and get free shipping and a free package of salty "Sale & Pepe" granola.

You need more holiday granola recipes? Try this delicious Roasted Pumpkin Apple Cheddar Soup with Apple Cinnamon Granola. If you decide to make either of them make sure to tag me on Instagram @thehungryapron so I can see your creations.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!

Spiced Panna Cotta with Poached Pears and
Cacao Hazelnut Granola

Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

Prep. time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

For panna cotta

500ml fresh cream

80g sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

8g gelatin

FOR poached pears

500ml water

60g sugar

1 cinnamon sticks

2 cloves

1 smaller star anise

2 pears

FOR GARNISH

2 tsp Cacao Hazelnut Mimina granola

Dark chocolate for decoration

METHOD

Prepare the panna cotta:

Prepare gelatin according to instructions. If you are using gelatin sheets, place them in cold water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. Heat gelatin mixture over low heat until gelatin is dissolved (don’t let it overheat) and remove the pan from heat.
In a large saucepan, bring cream and sugar just to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in dissolved gelatin and vanilla extract. Divide the cream mixture into equal four cups and leave to cool on room temperature. Once cooled down, refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.

Prepare the poached pears:
Poach the pears by putting water, sugar, and spices in a large cooking pot. Bring to simmer until the sugar dissolves. Peel the pears and gently add them to the simmering water. Cook until soft, for 15-20 minutes, depending on their size. Once ready, remove them and continue to simmer the water until it becomes syrup.

Serve:
Before serving, dip the glass of panna cotta into a bowl of hot water for 3 seconds and then invert the cup onto a small serving plate. Cover the panna cotta with 2 tbsp of spiced syrup and sprinkle with cacao hazelnut granola and dark chocolate chunks. Serve with half of the soft poached pear.