Erin's Nutty Balls

I came up with these during my first Whole 30 a year ago.  I'm not a huge fan of breakfast and these seemed to do the trick.  I'll eat 2 of these for b'fast and a half or a full one as a before bed snack when my workout volume is really high.  Lots of good fats, takes ~15 minutes to make, and they taste almost like cookie dough.

Ingredients:

• Dates (~15?) for the Whole 30 version, maple syrup for the non-Whole 30 version
• 0.5 lb shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 bag of raw cashews from Natural Grocers (they’re the cheapest here, unless you can find them at Costco - I haven’t seen any at Costco in months)
• Cacao nibs
• salt
• coconut oil (this is to help keep the dough to stick together for the Whole 30 version. You don't need this if you add maple syrup.

Directions:

• In a food processor, make coconut butter (the texture is best if you liquify things)
• Once coconut butter is liquified, add in dates and blend until they’re in little bits.
• Remove coconut/date mixture and put in a bowl. Set aside
• Add cashews to food processor. Process until it resembles crumbles.
• Add in salt (I’d say 1 Tbsp?), coconut/date mix and blend. If you need more moisture to make things stick, add in coconut oil (start with 1 T and work your way up).
• Once things stick together, dump the entire thing on a cutting board. Form a mound, add in ~1/4 cup (its about a handful) of cacao nibs. Knead in with your hands until mixed. (I like the crunch so I don’t put these in the food processor)
• Once mixed, form balls (I use an ice cream scoop and form ~1” diameter balls). Put in a container and enjoy!