No bake chocolate coconut balls | Glutenfreewhisk

No bake recipes are so easy to make and the taste and flavors that you can add are like a million. My recipe for no bake coconut chocolate balls is one such recipe. I have added stuffing of chopped pistachios and gulkand and they turned out to be the best chocolate balls recipe ever. These coconut balls are dipped in chocolate and have no sugar added except for the sweet from the dates used. The best nutty flavor that these chocolate coconut balls have is from the roasted pine nuts. A perfect recipe that is quick to make and is flavorful.

Pine nuts are used in pesto's and for decoration but using them in a sweet recipe is the easiest ingredient you can get to maybe replace peanuts. These pine nuts are equally nutty and has a distinct taste that only adds to the richness of this recipe. Gulkand and chocolate is another great combination, and I have made a gulkand cake as well a long time back. The idea to use it again came from the memory of having eaten this combination earlier. Using nuts with coconut and chocolate is the safest combination and the recipe can never go wrong. So, here is this super wholesome dessert recipe that is healthy and an absolute delight. Also, roasting any nut before using it in a dish brings out the oils and flavor of the nut enhancing the richness of it. So, you can even use pine nuts just like that, but I like to roast my nuts especially in recipes like this.

While adding water to blend dates to make a paste be very careful as to not go bonkers as this will not help you in shaping them. Add no or little warm water to help you get the perfect texture. After refrigerating them they set really well with the consistency that I have used. You can check the video of my recipe on my YouTube channel to get a better idea.

Health benefits of pine nuts are many. These are rich in iron, magnesium, antioxidants and monosaturated fats that have tremendous effect on your brain health, heart health, skin and eye health and even helps in keeping you energized throughout. Incorporating these in your diet is essential as these naturally enriching and balanced tiny wonder is packed with so many health benefits. Pine nut or chilgoza as we call it in India is easily available and is a great source of energy and other minerals.

You can even check my vegan oats and carrot chocolate balls recipe that is again a no bake recipe and is packed with nutrients for good health and a perfect binge eating snack without any guilt. Or you can indulge in my coconut ladoo recipe that I have made two ways.

INGREDIENTS -

7-8 pitted soaked dates in warm water

A little warm water (optional)

1 tbsp Roasted pine nuts

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 

1 cup roasted desiccated coconut 

2 tsp chopped pistachios 

2 tsp Gulkand

Melted dark chocolate with some ghee or vegan butter of choice

For Garnish

white sesame seeds

chopped pistachios 

some colorful sugar decoration

METHOD -

1. Roast both pine nuts and desiccated coconut separately and set aside.

2. Take the soaked pitted dates in a blender, add the roasted pine nuts once cool. Add cocoa powder and blend this all to a fine paste using a little water. Be careful of using as little water as possible or you can even blend these with water if you have a good food processor.

3. Add this paste to the roasted desiccated coconut and combine it all. Use hands and take small portions and strategies to make balls. Add pistachios in the center as stuffing and shape them round. Then gulkand to next and shape them.

4. Coat them in melted ghee chocolate mix and place them carefully on a line tray and decorate them with sesame seeds and pistachios.  Refrigerate to allow them to set.

5. After few hours when the chocolate is set, indulge.

Note - I prefer using in almost all my recipes but if you want vegan version of these chocolate coconut balls with pine nuts and gulkand then use vegan butter preferably coconut butter to not add to more flavors. But still, you can add any vegan oil/ butter of your choice and use vegan chocolate to get a vegan version of this amazing recipe.

If you have pine nut allergy you can even replace it with some blanched cashews or walnuts or both.

Check the full recipe on YouTube (Gluten_free_whisk) - No bake chocolate coconut balls recipe

No bake chocolate coconut balls | Glutenfreewhisk