Raw Christmas Tree Caramel Balls

image

Since the holiday season is just around the corner, most raw food enthusiasts are all but bustling about in preparation for that 100% raw and delicious Christmas dinner. And what better way to complement a festive winter atmosphere than by hanging some delicious edible raw candy on the Christmas tree, as tradition itself dictates?

Children usually enjoy picking out tasty treats from the Christmas tree, but it can be hard to find any type of commercially available raw friendly candy, not to mention some that can be used as Christmas decorations. Our Christmas caramel balls not only look amazing and taste delicious, but are completely raw and loaded with important nutrients!

In fact, if done correctly, raw desserts can be true powerhouses of nutrition. With cashews, sunflower seeds, dates and walnuts, the raw tree caramel balls are a great source of protein, minerals and essential fatty acids that are usually harder to include in the raw diet during winter.

Cashews are among the best nuts you can eat, any time of year, as they contain impressive amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which promote good health by protecting against cardiovascular disease. Moreover, 100 grams of cashews provide as much as 80% of the daily recommended amount of manganese, over 80% of the necessary daily amount of magnesium, 40% of the daily thiamine requirement and over 50% of the daily iron requirement.

Sunflower seeds are abundant in linoleic acid, which is an unsaturated essential fat, in addition to being an excellent source of dietary fiber, thiamin, folate, niacin, riboflavin, zinc, phosphorous, selenium, calcium, iron, and many more. Dates only add to the list of mentioned nutrients, by proving to be a great source of dietary potassium, but also natural fluorine, cobalt and boron.

Equipment Needed:

  • Food Processor

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw cashew nuts or raw almonds (soaked, drained)
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (soaked, drained)
  • 1 1/2 cups pitted dates (soaked, drained)
  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts (soaked, drained)
  • 1/2 cup flax meal (ground flax)
  • 1 tablespoon raw tahini
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon nutmeg (optional)
  • raw cacao powder and coconut flakes for coating
  • a few meters of thin red ribbon or thread

Directions:

  1. Place the nuts into a food processor and grind them into a fine powder.
  2. Add the dates with the nuts and pulse-grind them until you obtain a sticky mixture.
  3. Add the tahini, spices and the flax meal and pulse again until you obtain a thick, homogenous mixture.
  4. Take about a spoonful of the mixture and roll it into a ball, then repeat this process until all the mixture is used.
  5. Cut the ribbon into equal pieces, fold the pieces and tie a knot at their ends to secure them.
  6. Cut each ball halfway, just enough to fit in the ribbon and making sure that you do not slice them into halves.
  7. Bring the halves together and roll each ball again, then pass them gently through cacao first and through coconut flakes second.
  8. And finally, hang the treats from your Christmas tree!

Recipe inspiration: betterraw.com

Antonia
A science enthusiast with a keen interest in health nutrition, Antonia has been intensely researching various dieting routines for several years now, weighing their highs and their lows, to bring readers the most interesting info and news in the field. While she is very excited about a high raw diet, she likes to keep a fair and balanced approach towards non-raw methods of food preparation as well. (http://www.rawfoodhealthwatch.com/)