I have become a New Years cliché. On January 2nd I joined a new gym, ordered an all in one lycra outfit, purchased a loyalty card from Holland and Barrett and swore that  I would only run to my required destinations and live off vegetables. Of course, it’s now January 14th and I have eaten carbohydrates and sunk a few glasses of red wine. I have loosely, stuck to my gym routine, even venturing to Zumba and joining a boot camp. In a bid to cut down on sugar I made these little balls of goodness. They’ll give you energy and are packed full of all the food trends of 2015. Despite the alarming cost of ingredients they are delicious and make me feel all smug and wholesome.

Taken from Love, Bake, Nourish by Amber Rose

Ingredients
(Makes about 30)

• 150g blanched almonds
• 200ml coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 250g almond or other nut butter
• 
150g dried apricots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons raw cocoa powder
• 200g unsweetened desiccated coconut

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180’c
2. Place the nuts on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 6-10 minutes (keep an eye on them, they burn easily)
3. Once they have cooled, chop them into small pieces.
4. Melt the coconut oil and honey in a saucepan, stirring until thoroughly combined. Add the nut butter and stir again until fully mixed.
5. Add the apricots, chopped roasted almonds and cocoa  – stir well.
6. Pour the mixture into a bowl and chill overnight in the fridge, giving the mixture time to firm up.
7. Take small amounts of the mixture and roll into balls (whatever size you like) and roll them in the coconut to coat thoroughly. 

Store in the fridge until ready to eat, or freeze until required.

Directions for use: If you have some coconut oil left over apparently it’s a wonderful moisturizer!