I made my own recipe!!!!

I’ve been experimenting with things in the kitchen, trying to come up with something that I can truly call mine. I’m sure people have done it before me, but this recipe came about for a reason.

Ever since the opening of Live Zero’s bulk buy shop, I’ve been trying to come up with recipes that use solely bulk buy (or plastic package-free) ingredients. That meant coming up with something that was essentially vegan. I wanted to also come up with a recipe that used more natural sugars, rather than refined sugars – with the hope that they would help curb my sweet tooth.

So, given the whole zero-waste concept, I looked at bite-sized recipes such as cookies. I did originally try this recipe out as cookies, but they don’t hold their structure very well when flattened out, and tend to crumble. I tried rolling the batter into balls, and lo and behold, they worked perfectly.

There are ways to make this recipe less vegan, use eggs and butter instead of chia seeds and coconut oil. There are ways to mix ingredients in the recipe – you could add chocolate chips instead of cacao nibs, you could mix in raisins or omit it all together. You could even use half of the coconut oil and add in a nut butter of your choice instead. The possibilities are endless.

However, I wanted to make mine gluten free, and refined sugar free, for the sake of my gluten-intolerant friends, as well as making it an eco-friendlier treat.

They aren’t low on the WW points scale, at 4 points a ball, but they’ll keep you satiated for a long time. The main reason for this is the large quantity of coconut oil, however this is essential to ensure that the oats aren’t too dry, and the balls stay moist.

Anyway, enough chit chat… on to the recipe!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chia seeds
175 grams coconut oil / butter
275 grams medjool dates, pitted
8 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
375 grams rolled oats
140 grams white rice flour / plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
100 grams cacao nibs

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, and line a baking tin with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mix the chia seeds and 4 tablespoons of water. Set aside for ten minutes.
3. Pulse the dates through a food processor, to form a clump of minced dates.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the dates and coconut oil. Add the chia seeds, remaining tablespoons of water and vanilla extract until the mixture comes together.
5. In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, baking soda, and cacao nibs.
6. Gradually add the oat mixture into the date mixture, until everything is combined thoroughly.
7. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the mixture and roll into balls. Place evenly around the baking tray.
8. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until the edges of the oats are golden.
9. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack lined with parchment paper.
10. Enjoy once cooled.