Ottolenghi’s Cranberry and Almond Biscuit Bliss Ball
What happens when the worlds best biscuit becomes a bliss ball…
I used to not be the biggest biscuit fan, but one bite of Yotam Ottolenghi’s and Helen Goh’s cranberry, oat and white chocolate biscuits and I was converted. They truly are the best biscuit I have ever tasted and I get sooooo many compliments when I make these. After gorging on the raw mix one day I thought maybe I could turn this into a bliss ball?
Whist I could never improve of the perfectness of this biscuit, I wanted to make a FODMAP version. And somehow I managed to fluke this recipe and get it right on the first try – that never happens! Seriously, I think they almost taste like the real thing with the added bonus of being able to be made without gluten, refined sugar and animal products. Win win! Whilst they could never take the place in my heart of the original biscuit, they do come close.
Ottolenghi’s biscuit bliss balls
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Makes: 20 balls
Dietary guide: Gluten Free, FODMAP friendly, Vegan and dairy free alternative provided - see bottom of the page
Ingredients
2 cup (280g) cashews raw
½ cup (55g) oats (GF oats if needed or omit)
½ cup (55g) almond butter
2-1½ tablespoon (55g) honey*
2 tablespoons cocoa butter
4 tablespoon (45g) of coconut oil
Zest of one orange
1 tablespoon of dried cranberries (natural or sweetened are both fine)
2/3 cup (90g) of raw almonds
¼ teaspoon of Salt
20ml of orange juice
200g of white chocolate*
20 skewers
Method
Re-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and roast almonds for 15 minutes. Chop the almonds into small pieces (about the size of a large pine nut) and set aside. I find them easiest to chop when they are still warm and soft. Chop cranberries roughly and soak in orange juice for 10 minutes.
Place the honey, cocoa butter and coconut oil in a small saucepan and gently heat until all is melted. Place remaining ingredients, except oats, almonds and the soaking cranberries , in a food processer and wiz until the mix comes together but before it turns into a really smooth paste. It should hold together in clumps with you push the mix in your hands. Pour out into a large bowl and add the oats, cranberries (don’t add any residual orange juice that wasn’t soaked up) and the almonds. Mix well with your hand or a spoon until evenly dispersed through the mix.
Shape into balls whatever size your want. I make mine abut 20-25g per ball. I like to weigh mine so I get a consistent shape. If you find you just can’t get the balls to clump together, add a little of the left over orange juice, just enough to help bind it. Use damp hands if the mixture is sticking to your hands. Once your have rolled the balls. Pierce each ball with a skewer going in as far as you can without piercing the other side. Place all the skewered balls in the freezer for 15 minutes (until they have hardened up).
Meanwhile, melt white chocolate over a double boiler simmering gently or alternatively in the microwave but only if you are comfortable with this method (much easier to burn it this way). When the chocolate is completely melted, take it of the heat. Grab the balls from the freezer and one at a time, dip them into the white chocolate, letting the residual chocolate drip off back into the bowl. It makes it easier if you use a small bowl, as this will make the chocolate deeper and therefore easier to dip into.
Turn a colander upside down and place the ball into a hole of the colander to it can dry without touching a surface. If you don’t have a colander that will fit your skewers, get creative and think of another way to keep the skewers upright. Like ask your kids to hold them. Just kidding that would never work! Once they have set they are ready to eat or store in an airtight container. These balls are firm and don’t need to be kept in the fridge for the right texture, they are better eaten at room temperature.
Vegan/dairy free dietary alterations: If you want to make these vegan or dairy free, either replace to the white chocolate with a good quality vegan dark chocolate or just leave off the chocolate altogether. Replace the honey with rice malt syrup if you want to avoid honey all together on the FODMAP diet, or to make it vegan. To make it sugar free, use a sugar free chocolate.
