We almost forgot our own birthday! Can you believe it?

Tell you what, what I can’t believe is that it’s been three years already since I opened up AWG’s doors! What a ride it’s been, and what a humbling learning experience. I feel we’ve come SO far since we first opened our doors!

So how did we celebrate? In our favourite possible fashion – with healthy treats! In other words, by making a batch of these super-dark chocolatey bliss balls. They have almost no sugar in them (so good for your gut health!) and contain lots of good fats and, of course, plenty of rich cacao powder. 

They’re super rich and chocolatey, with a hint of sweetness… perfect birthday food!

Here’s a little about the ingredients in TCM terms:

• Dates –  sweet, good for supplementing blood and bodily fluids
• Cacao – bitter & sweet, strengthening & promotes the movement of Qi (i.e. gives you energy!)
• Walnut – warming, sweet & bitter, strengthens the Kidneys (i.e. good for your adrenals and stamina)
• Coconut oil – cooling, sweet, moistening (to counteract some of the drying properties of the cacao)
• Tahini (sesame) – cooling, sweet – supplements blood and body fluids

Have a go and let me know if you like them!

Super Dark Chocolatey Bliss Balls

Makes heaps!

Ingredients:

• 1.25 cups raw cacao powder
• 2 cups walnuts
• 2 handfuls desiccated coconut
• 4 dried dates, soaked in ginger tea
• about 1/3 to 1/2 cup coconut oil
• about 1/3 cup tahini
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• a handful of other nuts (I used walnuts and cashews) to throw in at the end

Method:

Combine walnuts and coconut in a food processor, and process until starting to clump together. Add coconut oil, dates + tea, tahini and vanilla and blend. Add cacao and chia and process until it all comes together. Add the extra handful of nuts and process for 5-10 seconds until they’re incorporated but still chunky.

Refrigerate for 2 hours then roll into balls, and roll in coconut, sesame seeds or cacao. Enjoy!

About the Author:
Dr. Grace Jones (BHSc.Acu) is the founder at Bloom Chinese Medicine. She is a passionate and nationally qualified and registered acupuncturist, with special interests in women’s health, natural fertility, pregnancy, digestive health and emotional wellness. Learn more about Grace here.

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