CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO ENERGY BALLS
Often the routes for our rides are designed to take in the best café stops, providing that necessary hit of energy in the form of coffee and cake. Those stops are always a refreshing alternative to the energy bars or gels in your jersey pocket. But imagine if you could have coffee, espresso and energy in your pocket - well this is just what Lucy Pemberton-Platt has devised and we’re delighted to share with you.
Lucy created this recipe with cyclists in mind, they are high in energy and compact enough to take with you. Each energy ball has a small shot of espresso in them and are designed in such a way that all you need is one or two whilst out riding to keep you going.
Some foody facts from the chef:
“The main ingredient, dates, are wonderfully moist and help to bind all the other ingredients together and add a gorgeous caramel taste as well as providing sustained energy. Oats are high in complex carbohydrates and soluble fibre which means they give you slow releasing energy. Cinnamon is a highly delicious spice and it has been prized for its medicinal properties for thousands of years. It’s loaded with anti-oxidants to protect the body from oxidant damage as well as anti-inflammatory properties which are incredibly important in the body. It helps repair tissue damage and fight infections. Cinnamon can also improve some key risk factors of heart disease. Agave syrup is a natural sweetener which is low on the glycemic index, which means that once you have consumed it, you won’t experience a sharp rise in your bloodsugar levels, as you would if you consumed refined, processed sugar.”
Ingredients -
1/2 cup of almonds
1/2 cup of oats
1 cup of desiccated coconut
1 x 200g pack of medjool dates
3 tbsp cacao powder
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 shot of espresso
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp agave syrup
Method -
Blend the almonds, oats and desiccated coconut for a few minutes until it becomes a flour. Then add the cacao powder and cinnamon and blend for a few more minutes. Boil the kettle and make a shot of espresso (I used 1 tsp in a quarter of a cup of hot water) then add this and the peanut butter and blend again until everything looks even. Lastly add the agave syrup and pitted dates one at a time through the top of the food processor (dates vary massively in stickiness, so it’s good to check consistency as you’re adding them). You should easily be able to mould the mixture into about 6— 8 balls. (1tbsp per ball.)
You can store these in the fridge for up to three months.
Lucy creates recipes from only natural ingredients, her blog is a rich source of food inspiration and her PDF recipe book is a handy and free guide for anyone wanting to create wholesome goodness from their own kitchen.