Lamington Bliss Balls

Lamington Bliss Balls are my spin off from the iconic Australian Lamington. A natural raspberry reduction is encased in a blend of dates, cashews, raisins and cocoa... The balls are then rolled in desiccated coconut and refrigerated.

Once you bite into these balls, the soft raspberry centre oozes out... Its a symphony of natural  flavours and textures... a twist on an old childhood favourite!

Pushed for time? No need for soft centers, you can simply press the mixture into an 18cm lined tin or dish and refrigerate. Once set, you can cut up the slice into bars or squares... Either way, you will love this recipe its delish! 

Ingredients

160g pitted dates

160g cashews (unsalted)

60g raisins

3 tbsp Cacoa

75-100g of desiccated coconut (to roll just use a little at a time)

*Note - the raspberry reduction is for both flavour and also binding the ingredients. Depending on the dates (or soft fruit) you may need more or less. Add little to begin with and adjust for taste and texture. If you dont want to make the raspberry reduction, you can add a splash of water to bind. 

Method

Yield approx 15 balls - approx 30g each  Prep Time 15 mins plus refrigeration time.

1. Make your Raspberry Reduction, select here for method and photos.

2. Weigh all of your ingredients. Place cashews, dates, raisins into your food processor and blitz until just combined. Then add cocoa and briefly blitz again.

3. Add 1/2 a teaspoon of the raspberry reduction and pulse. The raspberry reduction will bind the ingredients together. Depending on the natural softness of the fruit you may need more or less... When the mixture bundles together like a dough you are almost at the desired consistency. Taste the mixture. Test how the mixture rolls in the palm of your hand to form a ball, if its difficult or cracks add more of the raspberry reduction and test again. 

Please Note; if you add to much raspberry reduction, they will be very sticky. Also, do not over blitz the mixture as some nuts may start to release there natural oils.

5. Wash and dry your hands (or wear disposable gloves). Using a table spoon, scoop up a ball of mixture and roll in the palms of your hands. Press out a whole in the center using your thumb, then add your frozen raspberry reduction center. Then manipulate the mix to cover the raspberry then shape your ball, roll in desiccated coconut. I used scales for my first ball to get an idea of size. I use scales, I like everything to be the same size. If your raspberry lumps start to thaw, pop them into the freezer to solidify. If it softens, the balls become difficult to roll see photos.

6. Then repeat the process using your first ball to gauge the size then place the rolled balls on a dish to refrigerate. You will notice the mixture will become rather sticky due to the build up of mixture and the warmth of your hands. 

7. Place in an airtight container, you can keep them in the fridge up to 2-3 days. Or you can place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. 

Please Note; You can add additional seeds etc or substitute fruit. 

Mixing Tip! The raspberry reduction is key to the texture. It adds flavour, colour, texture and most importantly it binds the ingredients together.  You will see when the mixture has enough binding as it will combine into a ball and almost clump together similar to pastry or dough. This is key as too much binding and they will be very wet and stick to each other. Not enough and the mixture will continue to blitz, the friction may cause the nuts to start to release there oils and most importantly the mixture will not ball up.

Flavour; I am a big fan of natural flavourings. The raspberry reduction adds a tart fresh flavour to cut through the chocolate. If you have a home made jam or reduction you wish to use you can experiment...