My daughter was having trouble with constipation and the doctor suggested trying dairy-free food. My girls and I experimented with the traditional Swedish Chocolate ball cookies trying to make a healthier variation that wouldn’t make her constipation worse.
Ingredients
Chocolate 70% 100g (we like to use 70% mint chocolate)
Dates 200g (buy the kinds without the pits)
Figs 6 big dried figs (remove the stems if they are still on the figs)
Cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons
Options for decorating the chocolate balls
Rolling the chocolate balls in coconut, cocoa, or sugar keeps them from sticking together and slightly changes the flavor depending on what you chose.
Shredded Coconut 1/4 cup. This is what I usually use for my kids.
Cocoa powder 2 Tablespoons. This may appeal to those who do not like coconut. My husband and I like it this way, but my kids do not.
Swedish pearl sugar 1/4 cup. This can be used to roll the chocolate balls in if your kids don’t think they are sweet enough. The easiest place to buy Swedish Pearl sugar in the USA is to order it from Amazon, but you may find it in the European section of a large grocery store.
70% chocolate. Melt chocolate and dip the balls. Let them dry before eating.
You can roll the chocolate balls in powdered sugar or granulated sugar if you want them to extra sweet!
Melt the chocolate on low heat.
Mix the Figs and the dates in a food processor or in a heavy-duty blender until the mixture resembles a smooth black glob. You should not be able to see small pieces of figs or dates when you finish mixing.
Push the date and fig mixture to the bottom of the food processer and pour the melted chocolate on top. Start the machine and mix in the chocolate.
Sprinkle 2 teaspoons cocoa on the date-fig-chocolate mixture and fold into the dough. This adds more dark chocolate flavor (my kids like it this way), but if you are making these for kids who are not fond of 70% chocolate or if you are in a hurry skip this step.
Once you fold the cocoa powder into the mixture, roll it into balls about the size of a quarter in diameter.
Roll the balls in coconut, cocoa, pearl sugar, or whatever suits your taste. If you want to dunk the balls in chocolate, you will need to melt 500 grams of chocolate on low heat and cool them in the fridge.
Good Luck