chocolate nutty fruity brownie balls

The first thing you should know about these brownie balls is this: they are easy to make. No baking, no precise measuring, no way to go wrong. The idea for this little recipe came to me from the healthiest chocolate addict that I know: Tracy Murray (who's birthday happened to be yesterday--so happy birthday Tracy!).

What is the most important little piece of knowledge to take away from this recipe is the following: you must have one cup of dried fruit, per cup of walnuts. In this recipe, I used dates, walnuts, hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and a splash of vanilla. I am telling you, this is quite possibly one of the healthiest ways to eat dessert. 

The dark chocolate cocoa powder provides antioxidants, the nuts provide healthy fats, the vanilla adds a hint of sweetness without the added sugar that most chocolate treats are loaded with, and the dates provide natural fruit sugar as well as vitamins and minerals. For those of you who have had a Larabar, these are simply a homemade version--and also serve as awesome little energy balls.  

What you need: 

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cup dried, pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 tbsp. dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• shredded coconut (for rolling)

Steps:

1. Throw everything in the blender until the dates have softened, and the mixture becomes loose, but slightly sticky (you might have to pulse the blender a few times)
2. Take the loose mixture in your hands and form it into small rounded balls (the size of your choice)
3. Roll the balls in shredded coconut, powdered sugar, cinnamon-sugar, or whatever you prefer

What makes these brownie balls so great is their versatility. You can change out the dates for cherries, or any other type of dried fruit. Almonds work well too instead of hazelnuts, and powdered sugar is great for rolling if you're not a coconut person.