Powerballs (Primal/Paleo)

These are lovely little snacks. They're great for on the go: in your car, purse, workout bag, whatever! They are also sweet enough to satisfy a craving. We love to keep them on hand for quick fixes that feel more indulgent than a handful of nuts. These take less than 15 minutes to pull together and keep for weeks.

The best thing about powerballs is there is tons of room for flexibility; play around with it! You can use any nuts you prefer for a total of 12 ounces/1.5c (measured when whole). Sometimes I add chia and flax seeds as well. My sister likes to add coffee. You can pre-chop the figs if you'd like to ensure there are no chunks if you're particular about it but I prefer them to be added whole; I like the slight inconsistency. For substitutions, I'd keep at least half the dried fruit mixture as dates or figs for their binding ability. You can use any type of nut butter that you'd like. I use 80-100% dark chocolate, whatever I have on hand. If you are looking for some fancy presentation, you could roll them in chopped nuts, coconut flakes, or cocoa powder before refrigerating and serving. I have lots of ideas for variations such as nutella powerballs, chocolate covered strawberry powerballs, and PBJ powerballs...

Powerballs
primal / paleo / grain-free / egg-free

Yield: About 2 dozen

Guideline:
1-1/2c nuts
1-1/2c dried figs or dates
1.65 ounces dark chocolate
4T nut butter
1/4t sea salt

My go-to:

1/2c pecans

1c walnuts 

1-1/2c dried black mission figs
1.65 ounces 80%+ dark chocolate

4T sunbutter

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Using a food processor, pulse the figs or dates first until chunky. Add the nuts, pulse, then add pieces of the chocolate. Pulse again, then add the nut butter and salt. Process until fully blended, mixture begins chasing itself around the bowl, and you can form into balls. I use a 3/4 ounce disher (loosely packed) then roll with my hands to make about 22 balls, but you can make them whatever size you'd like. Store in the refrigerator.

What's your favorite primal or paleo friendly snack on the go?