INGREDIENTS

¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil
½ cup almond butter (or tahini or other nut butter of choice)
¼ cup honey (or maple syrup, or monk fruit to desired sweetness)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (1.3 oz) bag freeze-dried raspberries
1 cup cooked quinoa*
½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup almond flour (coconut or oat flour also work, but you may need to adjust wet ingredients to accommodate extra dryness)
¼ cup cocoa powder
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, plus more for rolling balls through

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small sauce pan, melt the coconut oil, almond butter and honey together until warm and liquid. Stir in vanilla extract. Add 1 cup of raspberries and stir to combine, then use the back of a spatula to gently crush the raspberries into the almond butter mixture, leaving some pieces for crunch! Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine quinoa, rolled oats, almond flour, cocoa powder and salt. Fold the wet mix into the dry and stir to combine. Allow to sit 5 minutes.

Use a measuring cup or other solid flat surface to crush what remains of the raspberries in the bag (should be about ¼ cup) and combine this powder with the coconut in a shallow dish, pinching together to create a uniform pink coconut flake. Roll 1-2 tablespoons of the batter between your palms to form even balls, then roll into the coconut flake to coat all sides and arrange on a plate or baking sheet. Place the balls in the refrigerator to set, about 2 hours. Once set, enjoy or store in fridge in an airtight container up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 1 month.

*If cooking the quinoa fresh for this recipe, spread it out on a dish towel after cooking and allow to cool fully so it dries out a bit.