Add these delish gingery chews to your sweet-snack repertoire.

Recipe: Extract from Simple Wholefoods

Craving something sweet but want the healthy benefits of raw, natural foods at the same time? Add these delish, doughy, gingery chews to your sweet-snack repertoire. Medjool dates, a super-healthy, naturally sweet fresh fruit are the main ingredient in this recipe – they are what give it its addictive chewy texture.

High in many nutrients such as iron, potassium and B vitamins, dates also aid alkalisation with their favourable pH value. They’re an incredibly wholesome addition to welcome into your pantry or lunch box, and here’s a great prep-free tip: for a chewy, caramel-like sweet, medjool dates are irresistible when eaten straight from the freezer.

Makes: 12-14 balls

INGREDIENTS

2 cups pitted medjool dates
1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
½ cup almond butter
¼ cup coconut flour
1½ tablespoons cacao nibs (optional)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup desiccated coconut (for coating)

METHOD

Place all the ingredients except the desiccated coconut in a food processor. Blend for about 30 seconds, or until smooth. You may need to stop the food processor, scrape down the sides, then blend again.

Using your hands, roll the mixture into 12–14 balls. Sprinkle the coconut onto a large plate. Roll some or all of the balls through the coating.

Store in a sealed container in either the pantry or the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Images and text extracted from Simple Wholefoods by Sophie Steevens. Published by Allen & Unwin NZ, RRP: $49.99. Photography by Lottie Hedley.