A couple months ago, I sent you a really tasty new healthy dessert/snack recipe that we called Danette's healthy balls. You can see the original recipe on that page. Super simple and tasty.
Well,
after experimenting with this recipe a few times, I've made a few
modifications to it that lower the overall carbs while increasing the
healthy fats and fiber in order to lower the glycemic response from this
recipe.
The existing recipe with the oats is okay for highly
active people that workout hard and can utilize the carbs from the oats
well. And oats are one of the more "neutral" grains that have less
antinutrient problems compared to wheat or corn.
But I still
wanted to modify these healthy cookie dough balls for our own batches to
be lower in carbs for a lower blood sugar response since I use these
mostly in the evenings for dessert each night.
So what I did was
replace the oats in the recipe with hazelnut flour, although any nut
flour will work well too. Since the basis of the recipe is a jar of
almond butter, I chose to use hazelnut flour instead of using almond
flour and almond butter. That way, you diversify the fatty acid profile
and the vitamin/mineral profile from 2 types of nuts instead of only
one type. You can also add chopped pecans and walnuts for more variety.
If
you choose to use peanut butter as the base of the recipe, you can use
almond flour (which is easier to find than hazelnut flour), and that
way, you still get a more diverse nutrient profile from the 2 types of
nuts instead of just one.
I also added some other bells and
whistles to this modified version to add more healthy fats and fiber.
Notably, I added coconut milk instead of water, and also added a 1/3 cup
of chia seed for extra fiber and vitamins/minerals.
I also used
1/4 cup real maple syrup instead of the 1/4 cup honey. This was mainly
because raw honey is generally solid and doesn't mix well, so real maple
syrup worked better for me in order to mix everything together.
Oh,
and I also added some cocoa powder, dark choc chips, and some pure
cacao nibs for the extra taste and nutrition benefits of the various
forms of cocoa.
Here's the new version below which I just made 2
days ago and is the BEST batch I've made yet. These things are
deeee-lish! My dad even made a batch of these recently and said he
looks forward to having a few of these little gems with a cup of tea
every single day as a mid day snack or dessert.
The ratio of
sugar in these is very low since the majority of the recipe consists of
healthy fats, protein, and fiber. The only real carb source is the
maple syrup and it's only 1/4 cup in the whole recipe, but the amount of
balls this makes will last you at least a week.
The New Modified Healthy Balls Dessert Recipe:
* 1 full jar (12 oz) of almond butter, cashew butter, or peanut butter
* 1/4 cup real maple syrup (grade B has more nutrients than grade A)
* 2 cups hazelnut flour or almond flour
* 1/2 cup organic canned coconut milk (canned is creamier than the watered down cartons)
* 1/3 cup chia seed
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2-3 scoops vanilla or chocolate whey protein (Chocolate Biotrust protein tastes the best in this mixture!)
* 2 Tbsp of organic cocoa powder
* 1/3 cup of cacao nibs
* 1/3 cup of dark choc chips (70% cacao or higher)
* 1 Tbsp of cinnamon
* pinch of salt
Mix
all ingredients together in a large bowl and continue to mash together
with a large spoon for a few minutes until everything seems well mixed
together. Roll into 1 inch balls and lay out on plates or waxed paper
to put in the freezer (they need to be separate so they don't freeze
together). Once frozen, you can transfer all the balls to a tupperware
container to keep in the freezer until any time you want a healthy sweet
treat!
Try these and you'll be BLOWN AWAY at how good these are!
Remember
to make sure that you grab our new healthy anti-aging recipe manual
that Catherine Ebeling and I have co-authored below:
82 amazingly delicious fat-burning anti-aging recipes
(metabolism-boosting breakfasts, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, and
more! All designed to help counteract the aging process for a leaner
younger looking body)
This manual will give you endless ideas so you NEVER get bored with eating healthy!
PS -- if you liked today's recipe, please share this page with any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer