I came up with the idea for these Black Forest Energy Balls after thinking of a fast dessert I could prepare in the morning, to have a small treat after breakfast. The balls need around 20 minutes to harden a bit in the fridge, so they will be ready for you after you finish your breaksfast. I looked on my blog, as I often do, and remembered how much we loved the Vegan Chocolate Truffles we had last month. Because we’ve had them in the morning, I though I could make them as energy balls, slightly bigger and to add a bit of oats too.

As with the chocolate truffles I mentioned before, these are vegan too, very healthy as I didn’t add any sugar, and they take only a few minutes to make. Of course, while they are healthy and add to the 5-a-day, they still have lots of calories from the nut butter and, of course, the fruits.

To give my energy balls the Black Forest taste, I’ve used a bit of Black Forest coffee syrup. You can skip that if you don’t have any. Also, you can switch the pistachio butter with any other kind of nut butter. If you don’t have nut butter but you have some nuts at home, make your own butter with a few easy steps, like in my recipe for almond butter.

Ingredients for 16 Vegan Black Forest Energy Balls:

– 100g dates
– 100g glace cherries
– 50g pistachio butter
– 25g dark chocolate
– 50g oats
– 1 tsp Chia seeds
– 1 spoon Black Forest coffee syrup (optional)

Start by breaking the chocolate in small pieces and melting it in the microwave. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over small to medium heat. Stir so the chocolate doesn’t burn. Add the pistachio butter on top and stir in until is incorporated. Leave the chocolate mix on a side.

You can use the small bowl of the food processor or the bowl of the hand blender. Toss in the dates and the glace cherries and mix until it forms a paste. Pour the dark chocolate mix on top and the black forest syrup and stir with a spoon. Add the oats and the Chia seeds and incorporate. Transfer the truffle mixture in a bowl and put it in the fridge for 5 minutes to harden a bit. It will be easier to shape the balls.

When the mixture can be handled, put the casings on a plate and start making the balls. Use a scale if you want to have a consistent size. I did and all of mine were 20g. Have a plate filled with water ready so you can wet your hands. It will be easier to mould like this.

Put the plate with the truffles in the fridge to chill for another 20 minutes before serving. Are Black Forest Energy Balls something you’d like to try/make?