Fig, Tahini & Mānuka Honey Bliss Balls

If you’re after a luscious and nutritious sweet treat, these are a winner. With each bite, you get an array of flavours – bursts of fig, mānuka honey, tahini, and a lingering ginger aftertaste. They’re a little bit fancy!💃

You need just seven ingredients (one being salt!) and 10 minutes to whip up a batch. With a food processor doing most of the work, they’re equally easy as they’re speedy.

Featuring energy and fibre-rich dried fruit, and hearty-healthy nuts, they’ll boost your energy while keeping you satisfied until your next meal.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Dried figs. The natural sweetness and sticky texture of dried figs make them an ideal substitute for dates (often the dried fruit star of the bliss ball world!). You don’t need to soak your figs ahead, but be kind to your teeth and remove any woody stem bits if still attached.
• Walnuts. Our nut base and a good source of omega-3, supportive of brain health (1). Isn’t it groovy that the halves are shaped like little brains too?🧠
• Shredded coconut. This coconut looks coarsely grated in long thick strands – like it has been shredded on the medium hole of a box grater! It holds more moisture than desiccated (finely grated) coconut.
• Ground dried ginger for its warm, sweet and peppery flavour. This can be found in the baking section of the supermarket, somewhere along the spice shelves.
• Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds, and a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. It helps bind these and adds a beautiful flavour.
• Mānuka honey. A special type of honey that’s world-famous but indigenous to New Zealand. It’s thick, with a shimmery goldenly amber colour. Genuine mānuka honey has potential antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties (2).
• Salt helps enhance and balance flavours (easily my most frequently used ingredient in the kitchen!).

Kitchen Tips

• Blitz dry ingredients first before adding the tahini and honey. This will help disperse the flavours, as the latter quickly starts to binds the mixture.
• Use water, but only sparingly or as needed. Depending on how succulent your figs are, a small splash of water can help with bringing it all together. I usually only need one teaspoon, but see how you go.
• Squeeze and roll. When preparing your mix into little balls, use a bit of force to squeeze them as you roll them. This will help compact the mixture so it doesn’t break apart.

Serving Suggestion

Enjoy a few balls as an after-dinner or mid-morning or afternoon snack. They’re great to take on-the-go to work, university or school and travel well in a small jar.

They’d be divine piled up on a grazing platter, alongside a bunch of fresh grapes, seed crackers, veggie sticks and hummus. Yum!

Thanks for reading! Are you after more bliss ball recipes? Try these Lemony Apricot and Coconut Bliss Balls or these Four-Ingredient Chocolate Hazelnut Bliss Balls.