If Energy Had Balls ... Pecan and date get cozy with some cacao ...

I don't really mean to make off-colour allusions to spherical anatomical areas. Really, these are kind of a riff on our easter eggs. However the chewy fudgey goodness is out of this world, and deserves representation whether it's easter or not.

Pecan and date together do something just a little magical or even perhaps alchemical. Not gold, but certainly more than the sum of its parts.

We left these unwrapped, but for easy snacks on the go, you could do them up in small squares of foil just like the easter eggs.

Simply put, these are a pretty intensely delectable energy-rich snack.

Vegans, go get 'em!

ingredients:

1/2 cup hemp hearts
1 cup raw pecans pieces or halves
1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup raw cacao
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp stevia powder
2  tbsp ground vanilla
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups pitted soft dates

1 or 2 tbsp vanilla extract or water

directions:

1. combine the hemp hearts, pecans, coconut, raw cacao, sea salt, stevia powder, and ground vanilla in a food processor, and process until as homogeneous as possible
2. add the honey dates and the vanilla and pulse and then process until it starts to form a 'dough'. Don't stop processing until this happens!! If you need to add more water for this to happen, add it just a bit at a time.
3. roll the dough into small balls
4. how many you get will depend on the size. I got about 40.