Black Forest Breakfast Bombs

A tasty weekend treat! 🍒

Here’s the recipe for the Black Forest Breakfast Bombs that we enjoyed in our In-Person classes together at the GAA Clubhouse this morning. A 'made-it-through-January-together-on-our-mats' treat.

These lil power-beauties are fab mid-morning or mid-afternoon with a cuppa. Especially at this time of year; it’s still nice to have something small, something yum, something sweet but also ideally (relatively!) healthy. Balance in all things Yogis…

These little homemade ‘energy’ balls are so easy to make & don’t involve any ‘cooking’.

Try with a strong cup of black coffee mid-morning or a cup of Earl Grey, green tea or your brew of choice in the afternoon.

The only ‘sugar’ in these is whatever is in the Chocolate Chips (there is very little sugar in 70% dark) & the Morello Glacé cherries.

Filled with protein from the seeds & nuts & with good fats (again from the seeds & nuts), antioxidants from the cherries & nuts (walnuts contain massive amounts of antioxidants) & of course also from the chocolate, & then also fibre & slow-release carbs from the oats - really, these goodies are CHOC-a-BLOCK with goodness 😉.

One may just not be enough…But do share! Spread the Yogi love...😋

Portions: Makes at least 16 maybe 20 balls - it depends on how big each spoonful is before you roll them. You can either 'finish' them by rolling or dusting in a little more Cocoa Powder OR in more Rolled Oats - you decide. Or just as is, without either.

Prep time: 20-30 minutes.

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List of Ingredients

• 170g of Raw Skin-On Almonds OR Walnuts

• 150g Glacé Morello or Dried Cherries - roughly chopped by hand, not too small. Do NOT use fresh or tinned cherries - the former are too tart, the latter are too moist & usually too sweet.

• 80-100g Raw Oats (smaller sized, not instant & not jumbo but as you’re blitzing, just use jumbo if that’s what you have to hand)

• 2 Tablespoons Cacao Nibs (I use TrueFoods.ie)

• 2 Tablespoons Iswari Macaccino Dark (100 % optional - this is a powder combo of Carob, Maca & Lucuma, an energising, warming & nutritional powder) (www.iswari.net)

• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (you can use Raw Cacao powder if you like)

• 100g of either Dark or Milk Chocolate Chips (or chunks) - use VEGAN if that's your preference/l

• 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Seeds

• 1 Tablespoon Sunflower Seeds

• 1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds

• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract (NOT the synthetic ‘essence’)

• 1/2 to 1 tsp Cinnamon (or more if you really like cinnamon)

• Additional Cocoa Powder OR Oats for after rolling/decorating - optional.

Step 1: Let’s Get Started - Soak The Cherries

Soak the Cherries in a little boiling water in a small bowl or ramekin for c. 10 mins. Drain & set aside the liquid - you will need this. 

While they soak, weigh out the rest of your ingredients.

Step 2: Roast The Nuts (Optional but nice)

Roast the Almonds (or Walnuts) on a baking tray for c. 10 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius (do not be tempted to turn the heat up higher to speed this up; higher heat degrades the good fats in the nuts & will spoil the flavour to boot).

Time & monitor them too - depending on your oven, nuts will turn from toasty & yum to burnt & acrid very quickly.

Step 3: Blitzing & Mixing Time

Blitz the roasted Almonds (or Walnuts) in your mini (or usual )food processor; you’re after a rough but fine enough texture. Don’t turn them into powder - you want some crunch/texture in the final ‘bombs’ & there’s more blitzing ahead. With each blitzing, the fine the texture will become. Err on the side of less, not more.

Add in the seeds, the oats, both the Cocoa & Macaccino powders & blitz briefly to combine. Again, very much avoid a too-fine powder-like result.

Add in the Chocolate chips now - only blitz very briefly to ensure they’re dispersed throughout the mixture (only use chunks if you want big hits of chocolate - & who doesn’t sometimes?!).

Next add the drained chopped Cherries, along with the Vanilla Extract & SOME of the reserved Cherry ‘liquid’ from Step 1 above.