If you’re like me you’ve spent years going through different flavours of bliss balls.

You’ve got the standard peanut and chocolate, the coconut, the choc mint, the apricot which are all delicious in their own ways, but I felt it was time for something a little different. Still sweet, still satisfying, but just different.

I went through a bit of a phase of hemp protein. During COVID it disappeared off the shelves but at the time I loved working with it, it was kind on the gut, amazingly clean ingredients and had a very distinct earthy grounding taste.

So one experimental day in the kitchen, these little beauties came about, and I truly believe their in a little league of their own.

Yes, they’re based off of dates, specifically mejool dates (which I personally have had a love affair with since I new they existed). But from there the ingredients are just a little toasty, sweet, earthy and oh so satisfying.

These little beauties are a great snack when you want something a little sweet, and can hit the spot anytime. Great with coffee, a tea, a chai, or just by themselves.

Hemp and sustainability

Another bonus of this recipe is that hemp is incredibly sustainable. Hemp in general is a crop that takes far less water to grow than many other food crops. It’s naturally resistant to diseases, fungi, pests and it regenerates the soil it’s grown in! Not to mention that it even helps filter carbon dioxide from the hair. So if you’re looking for a planet friendly product, specifically protein supplement if you’re on a plant based diet, hemp protein could be a good one for you.

Types of Hemp Protein

There are different types of hemp proteins out there, the main two I’ve experimented with are hemp gold protein or another favourite (and the one used in this recipe) is the woolworths macro brand of hemp protein.

The main difference I’ve found between the gold and the regular version is the colour and maybe a little bit of taste. The gold protein is great if you’re baking and wanting to keep the look of your creation light in colour. The regular dark hemp protein I also find to be a bit denser, and even a little grainy at times. With baking this could affect the rising of breads etc but in recipes like bliss balls it doesn’t matter so much.

So with that, you’ll see the colour of these balls are that dark, earthy colour. This is where that comes from. I just love it!

Variations

If you’re wanting to stay true to the below recipe, I’d keep variations limited to experience just what I’ve been telling you all about! But you could of course enhance it through a few tweaks;

Desiccated Coconut Roll – roll your final creation in coconut just for some variation and visual creativity.
Crushed pepitas roll – similarly, you can crush up some pepitas and roll your balls in them. Great for crunch.
Hemp seed roll – roll them little babies in hemp seeds, no brainer!
Roll in sesame seeds – the contrast of sesame would go really well with the flavours here.
Add a pinch of vanilla

Regardless of what you do to them, I hope you enjoy the grounding nature of these little beauties. I love them and hope you do too!

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