Frozen Vegan Berry Cream Hearts

Makes 40 Bliss Balls or 80 Mini Berry Cream Hearts 

So on one hand, I feel like I’m somewhat of a fraud – passing these delicious little bites off as an entirely new and exciting post.  But on the other hand, I feel like by recycling an old protein energy ball recipe and turning it into a Valentine’s Day treat, it makes me a super-smart foodie rockstar.  I’ll let you decide which one I am after you’ve tried them!

I normally just roll the mixture into bliss balls and store them in the freezer for a wholesome and quick afternoon pick me up.  But since it is Valentine’s Day this week, I thought I would give them a mini rebrand and make them heart-shaped as a treat to my kids who seem to go mad for anything cute and tiny.

These little bites of deliciousness are an easy way to show someone you love them because they are as simple as chucking everything in the blender, whizzing it all up and popping them in the freezer.   I would describe them as tiny mouthfuls of sweet and creamy berry ice cream, despite them being vegan and containing zero grams of sugar, thanks to using the natural sugar substitute of erythritol.   It is a sugar alcohol, has only 70% of the sweetness of sugar but most interestingly, it doesn't raise blood sugar or insulin levels, making it the perfect choice for both kids and adults alike.  It also doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste like stevia does, so I use it as a 1:1 substitution for regular sugar in my recipes now.

These berry cream bites are melt-in-your-mouth tasty and full of nutritious ingredients.  One portion contains 110 calories and 4g of plant-based protein.  My kids hardly eat any protein at school (just plain pasta, potatoes and rice on most days!), so I like to be able to hand them a few of these when I pick them up to give them a little extra boost.  

Vegan Berry Cream INGREDIENTS

·       100g Vanilla Protein powder (I used Liberto)
·       25g Milled Flaxseed (I used Linwoods) 
·       30g Desiccated Coconut
·       30g Ground Almonds
·       90g Coconut Oil
·       70g Nut Butter (I used Cashew Nut Butter)
·       30g Erythritol (or sugar of your choice)
·       1 tsp Vanilla Extract
·       200g Frozen Berries  

METHOD

·       Put all of the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blitz until a thick paste has formed.
·       Line a large tray with parchment paper and roll them into bite-sized balls or spoon the mixture into heart-shaped silicone chocolate molds.
·       Place in the fridge to firm up for an hour or so.  
·       Either store in an airtight jar in the fridge for a few days or else freeze in Ziploc bags.
·       Best eaten straight from the freezer. 

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Per 2 balls or per 4 heart bites

Calories – 110
Protein – 4g
Fat – 9g
Carbohydrates – 3g
Fibre – 1g

Note – The macros depend on the size of your silicone heart-shaped molds.