GLUTEN FREE · VEGAN · PALEO · NO BAKE

With Christmas round the corner, why not use food as part of your decorating efforts? One major benefit is that you won’t have the hassle of having to pack it up again at the end of the holiday season, as it will have been eaten - bonus!

These ‘Bauble Bites’ are a simple (who doesn’t love no-bake recipes?!) and fun way to bring some seasonal colour and sweetness to your table. Great as a snack or even dessert, these little energy-boosting guys are full of fibre, and have some not-so-secret superfoods to help them achieve their Christmassy colour scheme. Not being a great fan of matcha myself, I found the sweetness of the dough and the hit of coconut made getting a dose of this well-known antioxidant much more pleasant. But the red ones are still my favourite, sshhh!

INGREDIENTS

Medjool dates

Dates are a great natural sweetener, and their stickiness helps to bind the other ingredients to form the cakey dough. You can use other dates if you can’t find Medjools, but they really are the best if you can get your hands on them, as they are larger and ‘juicier’.

Dates provide the sweetness you want, but with lots of healthy fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Almond flour

Sometimes also called almond meal, you can find this ready-made or you can simply throw some blanched almonds into a food processor and grind them down into a fine flour.

Almond flour has an impressive nutrient profile (rich in protein, fibre, vitamin E and good fats), and is also low-carb, making it a key player in gluten-free baking.

Coconut flour

A great gluten-free and grain-free flour, rich in dietary fibre, and mild in taste. Also suitable for Paleo/AIP (though this recipe is not strict AIP because it contains nuts).

Coconut cream

You can find coconut cream ready to go, or you can use the solid part at the top of a can of coconut milk.

You could also sub plain coconut yogurt for the cream, if necessary.

Vanilla essence

Maple syrup (optional)

Another good natural sugar alternative, and very versatile, it also mixes in well with the other cake bite ingredients. I find the dough sweet enough without the maple syrup, but if you have a sweet tooth, then by all means add this in.

Shredded coconut

Raw beetroot powder

The natural red food dye! I absolutely love this stuff. A good quality raw beetroot powder makes a very convenient replacement for fresh beetroot, is highly nutritious, and retains the wonderful colour and flavour of its fresh counterpart. It also has a slight sweetness that goes extremely well with the cake mixture here.

Matcha powder

From the same plant as green tea, matcha and its vibrant green powder has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially in the world of wellness and healthy eating.

Matcha is very rich in natural antioxidants, called catechins, which help neutralise harmful free radicals (which contribute to cell damage and chronic disease). It’s also more concentrated in caffeine than green tea, which has been linked to improvements in brain function.

Matcha also contains L-Theanine, an amino acid that helps with anxiety and stress-relief by promoting relaxation (without causing drowsiness), which can also be beneficial for good quality sleep. One study found that L-theanine could even help improve inflammation in the intestinal tract.

Festive spice mix (optional)

These cake bites taste great just as they are, but if you want to add some Christmas-specific flavour to them, they also work wonderfully with a little cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Depending on how much spice you add, you may also need to add a little more coconut cream to keep the dough from becoming too dry.

TIPS

To help the shredded coconut stick better to the cake bites, it can be helpful to slightly moisten them before rolling in the bowl with the coconut.

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