Zoe’s Choc-Orange Birthday Balls (a.k.a. ‘Jaffa Balls’)

So, these balls are dedicated to you, my crazy friend. I hope you have an AWESOME day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

For the uninitiated (those of you not from Australia or New Zealand!), ‘Jaffa’ is a colloquial term that refers to a small ball of goodness which consists of a soft chocolate centre with a hard covering of orange flavoured, red coloured confectionery. The name comes from the Jaffa orange. And, through association with this wee ball of goodness, Jaffa has now come to describe a chocolate-orange flavour.

Of course, jaffas are definitely off my menu.  I can’t imagine there’s much about them that is AIP-friendly with all the processed gunk (technical term!) that makes them taste so very good. But these wee Choc Orange‘jaffa’ balls‘are a fantastic alternative.

And, in another bit of somewhat unrelated trivia, I originate from Auckland. In New Zealand, Aucklanders are often referred to as JAFAs. Not because we are full of chocolate and taste weirdly like an orange. Rather, because it is both a slang term and an acronym for Just Another eFfing Aucklander…

Now you know!

So, back to Zoe’s birthday balls.

These balls are a little more-ish. Actually, they are more than a little more-ish. And, while they are free of refined sugar and processed gunk, they do have a hefty amount of dried fruit added – so, best to eat in moderation. If you can hold yourself back, that is.

Zoe's Choc-Orange Birthday Balls (a.k.a. 'Jaffa Balls')

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

This recipe is a stage 2 reintroduction on the Autoimmune Protocol

Author: Joanna Frankham

Recipe type: Sweets

Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds, preferably activated (sprouted)
• ½ cup cashews, preferably activated (sprouted)
• 4 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1 cup sultanas
• Zest and juice of one organic orange
• ¼ cup raw cacao powder
• ¼ cup desiccated coconut + more for rolling

Method

1. Pop your almonds and cashews into your food processor. Blitz on high until they resemble fine bread crumbs.
2. Add your dates, sultanas, zest and juice of the orange, cacao powder and desiccated coconut to the nut mixture. Pulse until thoroughly mixed into a thick dough. Give it a pinch test between your fingers. If it's a little dry, add a drop or two of water.
3. Pour about a ¼ cup of desiccated coconut into a bowl. Using a tablespoon as your measure, roll balls of the mixture between your hands, and then roll in coconut to cover.
4. Pop into the fridge for at least an hour to chill before devouring.

Notes

Recipe does not include activating or chilling time!

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E N J O Y !

I’m at the reintroduction stage of my autoimmune protocol adventure. That means I can start reintroducing foods that have previously been excluded. This is managed in a very systematic way – one food at a time, starting with things that are least likely to cause a problem (or that I miss the most!). I’m keeping a food and mood journal and recording any unusual symptoms or changes in mood. It’s actually proving to be more work than strict AIP!