Hungry Angry Jaffa Balls

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an immensely hungry person, must, and always will be, an immensely angry person. I know this to be true, for it’s an affliction that haunts me wherever I go, made more menacing by the fact I never know when it might suddenly hit.

Now, you might very well think I exaggerate, but dear reader, I promise you, I do not. I have witnessed this phenomenon, that I like to call ‘The Hungry Angries’ turn the very best of people into irrational screeching banshees, capable of snatching the last remaining crumbs of food out of the hands of hungry children. Perfectly reasonable people have been known to suddenly grow horns, and threaten loved ones with imminent death if food, any food, is not quickly produced from somewhere and placed in their hands, to then be unceremoniously shoved in their faces.

The Hungry Angries do not discriminate, and those who suffer the burden of an insatiable stomach know all too well what I’m talking about. That’s why I try to be prepared at all times by making sure that, wherever I go, I have a handy stash of edibles I can quickly scoff in case I sense my evil Hungry Hyde bubbling to the surface. Walking out the door I usually grab at anything that’s easily transportable in a handbag, but, if I’ve got these zesty little chocolate morsels lying around, I’ll always opt for these as they’re packed full of energy and satiate you until your next proper meal. Whenever that might beI love these date and raw cacoa balls for a number of reasons, but mostly because I can eat them without any guilt setting in. I hate to even mention the word guilt when talking about food, because I believe the joy of eating is one of the simple pleasures left, and it shouldn’t be spoiled with any sense of unpleasantness.

Eating should be the absolute, unadulterated joy of the five senses. But I know that for many people, in many cases, this is simply not so, which is why I mention guilt at all. I want you to enjoy eating these with a complete lack of guilt and all the pleasure! Another reason I love them so much is because they are just so easy to make and last in the fridge in an airtight container for a good month. Probably more, but they never last longer than a few weeks in our house.

I make them once or twice a month and enjoy them as a snack on the go, or as a quick chocolate fix if I’m craving something sweet. I also like having them on hand in case someone drops by unexpectedly. I can whip them out of the fridge, pop them on a pretty plate and serve them with tea and coffee.  The medjool dates are caramely and replace the need for any sugar in the recipe. They make a perfect base for a healthy version of what is generally a pretty unhealthy treat. Hey, don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of sugar in the dates, but at least it’s not the processed kind. I think of these as the bigger and healthier version of Jaffa’s, and they have kept me from turning into a mindless, slobbering zombie capable of taking a bite out of an unsuspecting passerby, because in my hunger addled mind, their arm looked awfully like a chicken wing.

Love and light!

Susanna xo