These mini chocolate energy balls that feature raw cacao powder, cashew and coconut oil are the perfect healthy treat you deserve on a Valentine’s Day! Not to mention they are raw vegan, dairy-free and sugar-free – and they take up maximum 5 minutes of your time.
Before anything else, I’d like to tell you a few words about the source. Those amazing mini chocolate energy balls are inspired from the book Eat & Run written by the famous American ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek.
Have you heard of him? Noooooo? Ok, then you might wonder what’s so special about this book.
You see Scott Jurek’s book is one of those few books that have changed my life – teaching me to press on through anything. Among a few things, I also realized after reading his book that limits are all in our heads.
His remarkable story is a reminder that, no matter how far you go, every day’s run is a journey of discovery and the chance to explore what’s possible in both sport and life.
Incredible stories of endurance, as well as practical advice for runners including his own favorite vegan recipes, Eat & Run will motivate most of you to “go the distance” whether that means getting out for your first run, expanding your food horizons, or simply put exploring the limits of your own potential.
In this book, you will be able to find over twenty vegan recipes covering a wide range from pre-workout smoothies to sweeter desserts.
Although I am not vegan, I found most of his recipes very inspiring. And I must say that reading Scott’s journey was highly inspiring, and being an aspiring endurance runner, reading of people having the same trouble at mile 50 that I have at mile 10 is for me encouraging.
What Scott Jurek says about those mini chocolate energy balls:
“A good meal – like a good story – deserves a satisfying ending. The natural caffeine in the raw cacao nibs delivers a jolt and the subtle blend of chili flakes and cinnamon will gratify the most demanding dessert lover.”
In his recipe, Scott Jurek uses raw cacao nibs, mesquite, and vanilla powder, but I couldn’t find them in the natural food store, so I had to slightly adapt it. Instead of raw cacao nibs, I chose cacao powder. I hope you are not one of those people who crave chocolate and avoid all of it because they think it’s fattening and unhealthy. Dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 81-85% contains a lot less sugar than plain or milk chocolate.
The problem is not the cacao itself, again it’s the damn SUGAR!
In fact, cacao powder, which comes from the cacao bean, is highly nutritious, and it can provide numerous health benefits like helping to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of blood clots, lower high blood pressure and boost memory performance. It also provides essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants.
However, to play it safe, consume these chocolate treats on special occasions and look for magnesium and especially antioxidants elsewhere such as berries, grapes, tomatoes, avocado and so on.
These mini chocolate energy balls are both a delicious dessert and an energy booster, perfect for a fit and healthy Valentine’s Day, after-dinner relaxation or even for going on a long run.
Talking about long runs, you can imagine that first I had to try it myself. So yesterday, before my usual long run, I ate one of those magic booster chocolate balls. How did I do? Now you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind.
So my verdict: For raw vegan chocolate desert, this is a knock-out. I will definitely give it an A and urge you to try it as soon as possible. I bet you will love it, too!
This is all you need:
- - ½ cup raw cacao powder nibs
- - ½ cup raw cashew
- - 8 medium dates
- - 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- - ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- - 2 tsp raw coconut oil (warmed to liquid consistency)
- Combine all the ingredients except the coconut oil in a food processor and process for a few minutes until chopped to a fine texture.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the melted coconut oil and stir until well combined.
- Form into 1-inch round balls and place them on waxed paper ideally (baking paper will do just fine too) and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer them to an airtight container.
Recipe adapted from the book Eat & Run by Scott Jurek
Be healthy and happy!
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O sa le prepar si eu
Neaparat Claudia :) Sunt atat de bune si simple de facut, iti ia maxim 5 minute. Sa ma anunti cand le incerci te rog sa imi spui cum ti-au placut. Te pup
These look wonderful! Perfect for my pre-run snack. I’m going to make a batch of these for sure :)
Thanks you Sarah! :* Yeah, do that please and come back in here and let me know about your performance :)
These look fabulous! I love the chili flake kick!
Thank you Marissa! :) You’re right, the chili flakes make a big difference :) What I also love about this recipe is the fact that they take up only a few minutes of your time. Heaven! :*
You seriously got me when you mentioned about the red chili flakes. I love this energy booster even more. I am making them tomorrow. By the way, I am a runner too, but haven’t heard of the book. Thank you for the review! Cheers
Thank you so muuuuuuch Sam! :) Your comment made my day, really! Cheers, Cris
I made these because I had five minutes and all the ingredients handy. So, so good! Not sure about leaving them for special occasions because they don’t seem like a vice. And I will certainly eat one (or two) before I go on my long run tomorrow in preparation for a half marathon in Stockholm next weekend. Am glad that I discovered your blog. Think you may be the motivation I need to hang in there with my running.
Thank you Anne for your feedback! :) I am so happy to see that I am not the only one in here. Fingers crossed for your half marathon. Mine is on 4th of October in Köln (Germany). Enjoy and happy running!
Good luck in Germany!
Thank you, Anne! :) I did 10 km in 47 mins. It was amazing. Of course, I also had 2 mini choco energy balls. What about you? How did your half marathon go?
Hi Cris, it’s on this weekend. Am taking it easy this week and resting up. You sound like a bullet. 10 km is 47 min is pretty spectacular. I will keep you posted about the half marathon outcome. Will be v pleased if I can do it in (just) under 2 hours.
Fingers crossed then! :)
Hi Cris, I finished the half marathon in Stockholm last weekend. Yeah! It was really such a pretty city run, although I was a bit too preoccupied to focus on views most of the time. I finished in 2 hours 22 minutes. I was hoping for closer to two hours, but I will have to aim for that next time. I was impressed with a blind runner using his cane to do the run (he told me he was partially blind). Not sure if he had a running buddy with him and I never saw him during the course of the event, so I hope it went well for him. My next challenge will be the Seven Hills in the Netherlands in November. I want to focus more on interval training so I can pick up some speed.
Thank you Anne for letting me know! :) And congratulations! That’s pretty good, you should be proud of yourself. The Seven Hills in the Netherlands sounds fantastic. I am now tempted but I guess the registration is now closed, right? Let me know when it’s your next one, I might join you. Good luck with your training then! :) Keep me posted, please.
Hi Cris, I haven’t registered for the Seven Hills (Zevenheuvenloop) yet, because I wanted to see how I felt after Stockholm. I checked the site and they are still taking registrations. They have a 7km and two 15km runs on Sat 14 and Sun 15. The night run is on the 14th. I plan to do the 15km on the Sunday. I have done this one a few times and it’s really pretty and not so crowded, although it has become more so in the last couple of years. It’s near Nijmegen in the mid eastern part of the Netherlands, close to the German border. Looks like the website is in Dutch but this is the registration section http://www.zevenheuvelenloop.nl/deelnemers/zevenheuvelenloop/inschrijven-15-km. They have a different button depending on whether you live in Holland and if you have a bank account where they can make the deduction for registration. If you decide you want to do it, let me know and I can help you through the registration (my Dutch is workable, although my spoken Dutch sucks). But maybe you speak Dutch! Thanks for your encouragement. I figure after preparing for Stockholm, it would be kind of a waste not to do another one, although for me it’s always about having a goal. :-)
Hi, Anne. I was for almost two weeks on vacation and I only today realized that I haven’t replied to you. So sorry. The 15km on Sunday 15th sounds tempting. I will check out the website and get back to you soon. Wish you a beautiful day & happy running! :) XX