Ingredients
- 200 g pitted Medjool dates
- 100 g raw almonds (or rolled oats for a nut-free version)
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (Dutch-process is fine)
- 1 tablespoon spirulina powder (≈ 14 g — yields 1 g per ball)
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- Pinch of fine salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Coating: cocoa powder, desiccated coconut, or sesame seeds
Method
- Blitz almonds in a food processor for 20 seconds — small grit, not flour.
- Add everything else and run for 30–60 seconds, scraping once. The mixture should clump when you press it.
- Roll into 14 walnut-sized balls. Roll each in your chosen coating.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before eating — they firm up and the flavour rounds out.
- Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for two weeks, or in the freezer for three months.
Why this pairing works
Cocoa is one of the few flavours that completely disappears spirulina — the bitter, complex, slightly mineral notes of dark chocolate share a register with the algae and absorb it. Dates carry the sweetness; almonds give body. Each ball delivers about a gram, which is the right starter dose for most people.
Note. These are raw — never bake them. Above 60 °C the phycocyanin browns and the colour and most of the bioactivity go with it.