Goji Berry Bliss Balls (vegan, refined sugar & gluten-free)

Delicious fruity energy balls flavoured with immune boosting goji berries and lucuma powder. These goji berry bliss balls are not only vegan, refined sugar free and gluten free, but they’re also super simple to make. 

Energy balls are all the rage now. Look in any self-respecting modern “healthy” cookbook and you’ll find at least one recipe for them. There’s a good reason for this. They are easy to make and utterly delicious. I’ve made quite a few over the last few years and these goji berry bliss balls are the latest.

When I need a sugar hit, I find one, or possibly two, energy balls gives me just what I need. They stop me dashing off to the shops for a far less healthy sugar fix. I like to call them bliss balls rather than energy balls, as that really is the effect they have – on me at least. But as well as being delicious, both in taste and texture, they usually contain all sorts of beneficial nutrients.

The Chinese have used goji berries in traditional medicine for over 2000 years. They contain all sorts of phytonutrients, vitamins and trace minerals, including Vitamin A and Iron and are said to be good for boosting the immune system, supporting healthy circulation and preventing fatigue.

Goji Berry Powder

Indigo Herbs sell a whole range of high quality and mostly organic super foods via their online shop. I used two versions of goji berries in my recipe. I’ve been buying and eating dried goji berries for many years now, but I’d never come across goji berry powder before.

I was quite excited at the prospect and immediately fancied making goji berry bliss balls and rolling the balls in the goji berry powder. I was expecting it to be red, but it’s actually more amber in colour. Once I got used to the idea, I decided it looked rather fetching. Unlike some powders I’ve tried, it tastes good. It’s slightly sweeter than I was expecting, but has a subtle bitter tone which is typical of goji berries.

Lucuma Powder

I’ve had a packet of lucuma powder lurking in my cupboard for some time now. I bought it the last time I was in Totnes. So it’s now time to try it out.

For those who are unfamiliar with lucuma (and I include myself in this catagory), it is an Andean “superfood” made from the fruit of the lucuma tree. It’s meant to be particularly rich in beta-carotene, niacin and iron.

This pale yellow powder is quite sweet and is used extensively in raw products as a sugar and flour substitute. It also makes the best ice cream ever – apparently! Dipping my finger into the powder, it tastes remarkably like Hunza apricots and it’s quite delicious.

Goji Berry Bliss Balls

In these goji berry bliss balls I’ve included oats to help balance any sugar spikes from the dates and maple syrup. Normally, I use cashew nuts when I make energy balls, but I substituted some of them with macadamia nuts this time as I had some lying around that needed using up. Macadamia nuts are particularly oily, so although I added a little coconut oil to the mix, it wasn’t really necessary.

Like all of the energy balls I’ve made, these goji berry bliss balls are super simple to make. I chuck all of the ingredients into a blender, my power blender* to be precise and blitz for 20 seconds. If you don’t have a power blender you can make these just as well in a food processor, though the texture will probably be less smooth.

All that’s needed after this, is to roll the mixture into balls and coat with the goji berry powder. The bliss balls will keep in a cool place for a week, assuming you can hang onto them that long. No chance of that happening here. CT’s verdict was “lush”. He particularly liked the their chewy, fudgy personality.

Next Sunday, 26th March is Mothering Sunday. Why not whip her up a batch of these goji berry bliss balls for a delicious and healthy treat. Put them in a pretty box or on an attractive plate and they are good to go. I’ve given bliss balls to my mother on a few occasions and she’s now a big fan.

Other Recipes for Energy Balls You Might Like

• 5-ingredient peanut butter energy bites via Oat & Sesame
• Chilli chocolate chip cookie dough energy balls via Tin and Thyme
• Christmas bliss balls via Tin and Thyme
• Coconut bliss balls via Tin and Thyme
• Energy bites via United Cakedom
• Mint chocolate sunflower bites via Strength and Sunshine
• No bake energy balls via Simple Food
• Pumpkin spice bliss balls via Rough Measures
• Roasted hazelnut bliss balls via Tin and Thyme
• Walnut fudge energy balls via Celery and Cupcakes

If you’d like even more ideas for bliss balls, you’ll find plenty of recipes on my Energy Bites board on Pinterest.

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these goji berry bliss balls, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

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Choclette x

Goji Berry Bliss Balls. PIN IT.

Goji Berry Bliss Balls – The Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Goji Berry Bliss Balls

Delicious fruity energy balls flavoured with immune boosting goji berries and lucuma powder. Super simple to make.

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: bliss balls, energy bites, goji berries, healthy, quick

Servings: 20 balls

Calories: 66kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

• power blender

Ingredients

• 75 g cashew nuts
• 50 g macadamia nuts
• 50 g gluten free rolled oats
• 75 g dates
• 25 g goji berries
• 1 pinch Himalayan pink rock salt or sea salt
• 1 tbsp lacuma powder
• 2 tsp melted coconut oil or 1 heaped tsp if unmelted
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 4 tsp goji berry powder

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Place all ingredients except the goji berry powder into a power blender or food processor and blitz until a smooth dough has formed. I used the mini jug of my Optimum G2.3
• Take walnut size pieces and roll into balls.
• Spoon the goji berry powder into a shallow bowl, then roll the balls in it until coated.

Notes

Makes 18-20 balls depending on size.

Store in an air tight container. Will keep in a cool place for a week.

Please note: calories are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

Sharing

I’m sharing these goji berry bliss balls with Cakeyboi for Treat Petite.

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Indigo Herbs. I was not expected to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thanks to my readers for supporting the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging. The post contains affiliate links. Buying through a link will not cost you any more, but I will get a small commission.