Chocolate Chilli Jess Balls

It wouldn’t be a Jessipe without a touch of chilli! These date, orange and chocolate bliss balls are gluten-free, dairy-free and make for a healthy post-dinner treat.  We always have big jars of Jess balls on the table for customers to help themselves to — they’re hard to resist.

Makes: 16
Takes: 15 minutes plus setting time

Gluten-free | Dairy-free

Ingredients:
400g pitted dates
70g desiccated coconut
100g ground almonds
4 Tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra for rolling
1 orange, zest & juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
½ tsp dried chilli flakes

Method: Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blitz until the mixture is smooth and starting to come together in the bowl. Take spoonfuls of mixture and, with clean hands, roll them into even-sized balls. Place some extra cocoa powder in a shallow dish and roll each ball in cocoa until covered. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm, and then serve either straight from the fridge or at room temperature. These balls will keep for up to 10 days in an airtight container.

Variation: Omit the orange zest and juice and instead add 2–3 drops of peppermint extract for a chocolate-peppermint twist. Roll balls in desiccated coconut to finish.